


The Space Voyage (G/T P!Septiplier)

by PlatonicSeptiplier



Series: Chronicles of a Façade [2]
Category: P!Septiplier G/T, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: G/T, Gen, Markiplier - Freeform, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Probably fluff and angst, Stranded, Survival, TeamIplier - Freeform, YouTubers - Freeform, giant!jacksepticeye, giant!matpat, jacksepticeye - Freeform, space, tiny!markiplier, tiny!natewantstobattle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-12-10 18:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 89,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11697366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlatonicSeptiplier/pseuds/PlatonicSeptiplier
Summary: This is the future. The people of earth have grown out of their eggshell and reached out into the mysterious world of space. The Space Race was in hand, and in turn planets were being sought out to discover other terraformed worlds to strengthen the human race and save Earth. One certain starship contains Mark Edward Fischbach, an aspiring engineer among his pioneering friends.But when the Aurora discovers a giant habitable planet, an unknown complication causes the space ship to crash on this unknown planet, leaving Mark stranded in this alien universe and making him the alien. Can he survive against this treacherous ecosystem, and can he find his friends and get rescued before it is too late...?Contains peril, swearing, and actionBOOK 2





	1. Hello Everybody!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world of space! Not everything that meets your eye is what it seems though, the universe is huge and full of unexplored secrets and mysteries...

"Hello everybody, my name is Mark, and welcome to another uh... vlog? I guess? Ah shit- hey Ethan!" Mark looked away from the camera as a skinny and young blue haired man came into the room.

"What?" He asked.

"Should I call this a vlog or just a data log?" Mark called out. Ethan shrugged and continued walking.

"I don't know dude, it's your data terminal, your life."

"Right, ok..." Mark sighed and smiled nervously at the camera. "Sorry. Hi. How you guys doing?" He chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "So if you guys know anything about me, you know that I am absolutely in love with space, right?" He asked. Mark grinned, and then he got up and turned the camera to the window. "Well, here you go then! We're in space!" Mark was giddy with enthusiasm as the stupid grin stuck on his face. "Isn't it beautiful out there? It's just so beautiful... the elegance, the story of why. God I love space... Oh it's so pretty..." He then cleared his throat and fixed the camera, and he sat back down on the floor.

"Anyways, let me explain a few things since my first "vlog" was just me rambling pointlessly about myself so that you guys could get to know me. Now as you guys know, I'm an aspiring engineer who is a complete geek when it comes to space." He glanced at the window and smiled again. "I had to go on this diet, and I've been training for a very long time to get to this moment, so now I'm pretty ripped and got these big muscles." He flexed his arm to show this before he continued. "Ethan is one of my friends aboard the Aurora, which is a research ship tasked with discovering new life, and Ethan is a research assistant. He examines data that the chief researcher collects and verifies different things about it and all that good stuff, but that's not my area of expertise so I could be completely catastrophically wrong." Mark chuckled before continuing.

"Anyway, my other friends are here with me too. Katheryn is the chart officer, my girlfriend Amy is a nurse in the sick bay, and my buddy Tyler is the supply officer." Mark smiled at the camera and shrugged his shoulders. "I think that it's so cool that all of my friends agreed to come with me on this adventure, and we're all excited for the unknown of the universe. I'm glad that we have each other's backs and I can trust them. And I'm not trying to sound arrogant in any way, I am honored that I get to go on this exploration with people that I know I can trust... and on the Aurora, of all ships!" Mark bounced excitedly before continuing. "I mean the Aurora is so cool, exploring the galaxies for undiscovered planets that might sustain wildlife and hopefully our new colonies." Mark stopped for a second and tapped a small instrument that covered his ear.

"So how I'm going to keep track of my logs; this little device in case you don't know is basically a camera. It will record what's going on through my eyes... only without my eyelids." He smiled sheepishly. "So even while I'm asleep it should continue recording unless I turn it off, that way if something tears me to pieces you guys at home will know what." Mark then sighed and scratched his head. "That sounded dark out loud..." he mumbled. He cleared his throat and smiled at the camera again. "Anyways, I'm glad I got a chance to sit down and explain who I am and what we're doing, I hope one day we'll find the resources to save Earth from inevitable pollution. I'm sorry I won't be able to talk much more to you guys directly, but you're gonna get to see lots more in the near future." Mark tapped the small device that was latched on his ear again. "This little guy should give you a good view. So thank you guys so much for watching, I'll turn the eye cam on as soon as I load this into the data terminal... and as always, I will see you, in the next video." Mark smiled and waved bye to the camera before he leaned forward and tapped the holographic screen. The red blinking light in the corner turned blue, and the camera shut down. Mark hummed cheerfully as he uploaded the data log and turned on his eye cam.

"Hey Mark." Mark turned to see Katheryn standing in the doorway. "You ready? We're about to take off from the station," she asked.

"Yeah, thanks!" As soon as Katheryn left, Mark got up and ran to the window. He pressed his hands and his forehead against the strong glass, looking out beyond the thick transparent layer to observe with fascination. Outside was nothing but the cold unknown. The stars spotted the dark world with splotches of cold colors, purple and blue. In Mark's eyes, space was like a canvas painted by Picasso. It was a work of art created by existence; no one understood it, but it was just so stunningly beautiful and mysterious. Who knows what's out there in the beyond, past the known sectors? They had yet to discover sentient creatures, aliens, but so far all the International Space Voyagers had discovered were mean monsters with Neanderthal thoughts... and sharp teeth.

Mark watched the engines whirl and light up with the eyes of a child on Christmas day. The thrusters spat out cold blue light as the top of the ship unlatched from the immense space station, and the giant space ship began to drift. Then the engines kicked in, and they were flying away. Mark waved farewell to the gargantuan mess of intricate metal that they called a space station, and he turned away when the intercom suddenly came on.

"Attention this is your captain speaking, we have now taken flight and are soaring through Sector B," a voice announced. "We'll be going through some turbulence soon, so the crew needs to be ready to brace yourselves. Our engineer apprentice is also needed at his post please, thank you." _Oh shit!_ In all of his gushing and excitement, Mark had completely forgotten that he needed to be at his post. He grabbed his glasses and slipped them on, and the young engineer raced out of his room.

Mark's mentor was not happy when his apprentice finally opened the door panel and ran down the metal stairs.

"I'm sorry sir!" Mark panted. "I was setting up my data terminal, sir!" His mentor relaxed and smiled a little.

"That's alright Fischbach, just be a little more careful with the time. You do have a LifeBit on, correct?"

"Yes sir," Mark nodded, still out of breath. The man grinned.

"You can just call me Jordan."

"Yes sir- I mean, Jordan," Mark stammered. Then he stuck his broad chest out and stood up straight. "So Jordan, what's my first task?" He asked.

"Easy there you eager beaver! We got to get you decked out first." Mark slumped a little.

"Decked out?" He repeated. Jordan nodded, and then he tossed his head over his shoulder, signaling the apprentice to follow.

"Yeah, decked out Fischbach. While you were setting up your terminal, your gear was shipped in," he explained as they walked along the platform. Mark turned his head to look out at the vast chamber full of electronic devices and engines deemed impossible back in the two-thousands. They went down another set of stairs before entering a smaller chamber full of boxes and other cool technology.

"Whoooaaaa." Mark's jaw dropped. Jordan had laid out some gear and a standard outfit for Mark to wear, but what was laying beside it was what had caught the engineer's eye. Mark walked up to it and touched the smooth belt, his eyes darting over the many buttons. "Is this the latest model of the fabricator?" He exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.

"It sure is." Jordan was grinning behind Mark. The older engineer found it amusing when the newbies were awed by everything on the Aurora. "I haven't had the time to stock it up with much materials though,just a little bit of leftovers. Go ahead, try it on. It's all yours." Mark picked up the equipment and went around the corner to change. As soon as he was ready, he came out of the dressing closet and looked at Jordan with a huge grin on his face.

"Hell yeah this is awesome!" Mark gushed, waving his fists in the air. He was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, with the fabricator wrapped around his waist. A scanner was in a holster that rested against Mark's hip, and on Mark's shirt bore a small gold badge that symbolized his title. "This is so cool," Mark giggled. He was turning into a senseless fanboy.

"I felt the same when I first boarded this ship." Jordan smiled at his apprentice, and then he pulled something off of his belt and offered it to Mark. "Here. I doubt you'll need to ever use it, but just in case." Mark's eyes widened as he reached out and grabbed the knife from Jordan's hand.

"Umm, thanks," he said. The intercom suddenly beeped on, and the captain talked again.

"Attention all crew members, we have reached the Maristela Belt, please fasten your seatbelts. Mr. Maron, I suggest you keep on standby in case something goes wrong."

"Aye captain," Jordan called out. He turned to Mark. "Come on Fischbach, I hope you don't get motion sick. This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

 


	2. Slight Complication...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No journey is without hiccups! But can Mark overcome his first obstacle?

The Aurora had made it in one piece. They left Sector B with no problems, and it looked like nothing but smooth sailing ahead.

With Jordan's permission, Mark left the engine room to go talk to someone. He hadn't seen her since they had flown in to the space station, and Mark was dying to find her. His journey took some directions from bypassing crew members, but the young engineer eventually found the med bay.

He stood at the entrance for a few seconds, looking around. There were only a couple of patients in the ward, and they didn't seem to have any major problems. They probably just had headaches or nausea from navigating through the Maristela Belt.

Mark's eyes stopped over a young platinum blonde woman, and he smiled before he made his way over to her.

"Hello nurse, I'd like to report an issue I have," he called out. The girl turned, and as soon as she saw Mark she smiled.

"Oh really?" Mark grinned and gently grabbed her hands in his, holding them to his chest.

"Yeah. See, I've been stabbed in the heart by Cupid... how do I cure myself?" Amy giggled as Mark gave his girlfriend a flirtatious smile and kissed her passionately on the cheek.

"I missed you too Mark," Amy said with a blush. Mark beamed at her happily.

"So how have you been doing so far?" He asked. "You look great in a doctor's coat!"

"Well, it's fine so far. I just hope all I have to deal with are whiny men who have small cuts and scrapes." Amy checked out her boyfriend and smiled again. "You look good too."

"Aw shucks, it's the uniform isn't it? Man I worked so hard to get these muscles for you!" Amy laughed as another nurse walked up to them.

"Ms. Nelson, can you take care of this patient?" She asked, pushing a clipboard into Amy's arms.

"Oh, yes, yes I will!" Amy chuckled nervously. The nurse looked at her sternly before simply saying, "You do that" before she walked off.

"Well that was a bit rude," Mark muttered.

"Oh, I'm sure it's just because I'm new, don't worry about it Mark..." Amy flipped through some of the papers before a small yell suddenly escaped her lungs. "Oh, damnit! This patient needs surgery," she exclaimed. "He swallowed a space slug on a fucking dare! The idiot, what am I gonna do!?"

"I'm sure you can do it," Mark assured. Amy rolled her eyes at Mark.

"You're only saying that because we're going out." Now it was Mark's turn to roll his eyes.

"No I'm not! I'm serious!" He grabbed Amy's wrist and smiled. "Look Amy, it'll be ok. You'll do great. Just think back to med school, you're plenty capable of this." Amy looked at Mark for a few seconds before giving him a sheepish smile.

"I-I guess so..." she looked down at the clipboard before she looked back up and kissed the engineer. "Thanks Mark," she said. Mark smiled and let her go.

"You'll do just fine," he assured. Before Amy headed off though, he asked, "Oh yeah, do you know where Tyler's at?"

"Well he's a supply officer, so I think he would be in the cargo bay."

"Alright, thanks!" Mark set out once more to go find his friend. He got lost and turned around a couple times, but he managed to get in to the cargo bay. He saw the curly haired brunette standing on a platform with a clipboard in his hand, and he was shouting orders as supplies were being carried away and organized.

"Come on people just one more shipment!" Tyler was shouting as Mark walked up behind him. "Then you can be lazy and take a break!"

"Tyler!" Mark exclaimed. Tyler jumped and turned around quickly.

"Mark, hey!" The two hugged it out and high fived each other. "Have you seen Ethan yet? He said he'd bring my lunch, and I'm starving!" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, he's probably up in the command center with Katheryn," Mark chuckled. _Leave it to Tyler to think with his stomach._

"Well I hope he gets his ass down here soon, or else I might fire him." Mark snorted.

"Yeah right, like you have the authority to do that." Tyler turned to sign something someone needed authorized, then turned back to Mark.

"It's worth a shot." Tyler turned to walk down the stairs, and Mark followed. "So, how you doing?" Tyler asked. "Tired of the cold dead world outside?"

"Nope, never!" Mark replied.

"I figured as much," Tyler laughed. "And it certainly beats a planet exhausted of its resources, am I right?"

"Yeah." Mark's hands slipped into his pockets as they reached the bottom level of the cargo hold. "But I do feel awful for the people back on Earth," he admitted. "They're stuck with all the smog and pollution. I mean, when will we find a terrascore-3 planet? All the worlds we've come across are just score-1 and had death written all over them."

"We'll find one." They walked along the underside of the cargo chain. "We just need to keep searching," Tyler said firmly. Mark nodded.

"Yeah, you're right..." They stopped walking, and Mark stared at the ground for a few seconds before suddenly looked up at Tyler.

"I hope the planet we find and colonize will be as beautiful as Earth was," he said quietly. "All we've ever seen are pictures and heard old stories from our parents about the beauty Earth once had. All of those trees and plants, and the sky? All we ever saw are the dust clouds." Mark sighed. "I just wish, I wish so badly that we'll find a planet like Earth, and then I can finally-" Mark's sentence was abruptly caught off when the massive ship suddenly jolted, and everyone was sent flying to the ground. Mark yelled out in surprise as he toppled on top of Tyler, and he stumbled to his feet and helped his friend up.

"What was that!?" Mark shouted.

"I don't know!" The ship lurched again with a groan, and Mark looked up when he heard something snap. His eyes widened.

"Look out!" He grabbed Tyler and threw their weight to the side, and they just barely avoided the heavy crash of one of the big metal supply crates.

"What the hell is going on!?" Tyler yelled. The alarm lights were on, red lights flashing as people were running to buckle up in their seats.

"I'm gonna go see!" Mark pushed Tyler to the wall seats and started running up the stairs.

"Mark be careful!" Tyler called up to him. Mark didn't reply, he simply waved his hand and bolted to the door. He opened the panel and continued running down the hallways as the alarms continued blaring.

A heavy thud sent Mark flying again, and he smashed against the floor as the giant ship creaked and groaned. Mark groaned as he got back up and kept running.

"Jordan!" Mark yelled as he found his way back into the engine room. "What the hell happened!?"

"The engines are failing!" Jordan was rapidly pressing on the control panels. The screens were red, and a warning sign was flashing.

"Why though? We've been flying for only seven hours!" Jordan bared his teeth and grimaced when the engines turned over and stalled again, but he kept trying.

"I don't know! Maybe there's something in Sector D we don't know about yet!" Sector D had been charted as undiscovered by the Space Voyagers. The Aurora had only been flying on the fringes of Sector C though, so Mark couldn't make much sense from this.

His stomach suddenly felt like it dropped out of his body when a snap vibrated throughout the ship, and the microgravity alerts came on. Mark grabbed the railing and kept himself steady as Jordan did the same.

"Come on damnit!" Jordan shouted. But nothing seemed to be working. The intercom suddenly came on. It was fuzzy, but some words were coherent.

"This is... captain... hit by... gravitational pull... too great... abandon ship!" Mark's eyes widened. Abandon ship? Was the problem really that bad!?

"You heard the captain!" Jordan pulled himself over to Mark and pushed him toward the door. "Come on Fischbach we gotta move!" Dazed, Mark navigated out into the halls, and he followed his mentor to the escape ships. By the time they made it there, only a few remained. Mark felt his skin crawl when he saw that the ship had began to fall apart, and that most of the space ships were already crushed under the metal wreckage of the bigger and crumbling mothership, whether people were already in them or not.

"Get in, quickly!" Jordan pushed Mark to the nearest one, and Mark pulled himself in as the ship creaked and crumbled again. Jordan ducked away from some flying sparks as he closed Mark's door. Mark's eyes widened.

"You're not coming with me?" Mark exclaimed. Jordan shook his head.

"I gotta go help everyone else. Most of the ships are already destroyed, so go! Jettison!" Mark trembled as he watched Jordan turn and maneuver back to the door, and he flinched as another part of the ship collapsed with a thundering roar. Adrenaline forced Mark to press the buttons, and the engineer buckled up in his seat before he pushed a lever. The ship was wobbly as it pulled out of parking, and Mark turned the ship to make sure Jordan was out of the clear before he pressed another button. The small ship whirled as its mechanisms hummed, and Mark leaned back in his seat as he took off through the launch pipe that led out into space.

The inertia pushed Mark back in his seat, and he squeezed his eyes shut as the ship went hypersonic and shot out of the giant ship. He turned off the hyperdrive and looked back to see that the ship was tilted on its side, and it was sinking down. Mark could imagine waves greedily dragging the ship down into the cold starry depths of the universe, and he shuddered at the comparison his mind made.

 _No, space is nothing like the ocean._ Mark noticed that his escape ship was leaning to the side, and he tried to straighten it out. The pulling persisted, and Mark started panicking even more as his ship rolled on its side and started drifting away from the Aurora.

"What the hell!?" Mark shouted. He slammed his fist against the arm rest. He had to go back! He had to make sure everyone else made it out ok!

As the ship picked up speed and began to spiral out of control, Mark started to feel dizzy from the unsettling speed. He groaned and gripped the chair as he braced himself, but nothing prepared him for what his eyes laid on as the ship tilted.

"Wh-what...?" Mark's eyes were wide. Beyond the ship's windshield was a planet. It was luscious and green, and it had water too. Mark's mind was buzzing, but he could have sworn it looked like Earth did a long time ago, before he was born...

But this planet had one small difference. It was huge, and it took up Mark's entire vision already. Mark felt like the land was gaping open a giant mouth to eat him and his ship up, but that was just Mark's brain and its lack of oxygen.

Mark realized dimly that this gargantuan planet was pulling on his ship with its gravity, and he was too small to escape it. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as the ship burned through the exosphere, and he blacked out.

 

 

 

 

**"Mark," Amy whispered, tugging on the man's sleeve. "Mark!"**

**"Hmm?" Mark opened his eyes and sat up. "What is it?" He yawned.**

**"The inspectors, they're here." Mark froze. _Oh no._ He looked at Amy before jumping out of bed and running to climb down the ladder.  
**

**"Chica!" He whisper shouted. A young Labrador trotted into the compact room and ran to greet Mark. She had been in the kitchen when her beloved deep voiced owner had called. "Hey girl. Oh you're adorable, oh you're so pretty Chica Bicca," Mark cooed as he hugged the dog and pet her. "Listen girl, I need you to come over here." He led Chica to an unused vent and pried the covering off. "Get in here, stay for daddy okay bup? Don't make any noise," He whispered. A bang thundered on the door as Chica whimpered and pressed her muzzle against Mark's hand. Mark smiled sadly and stroked her.**

**"It'll be ok Chica. Just sit still for daddy."**

**"Mr. Fischbach! Open up now!" Mark gently pushed the dog in the vent and hid her, whispering "sit, stay" before he walked over to the door and opened it. Immediately he was jostled against the counter as a man walked in with three more men.**

**"Where is it?" Amy ran over and clung to Mark's arm.**

**"What are you doing here!?" She cried out. The man turned and glared at the couple.**

**"Where is it!?"  
**

**"I don't know what you're talking about, but you have no right to just come barging in here," Mark answered calmly. He was slugged and slammed against the counter, and Amy shrieked as she was pushed away.**

**"Mark!"**

**"Keep her back!" The lead man shouted. He grabbed Mark by the back of his hair and held his head down.**

**"Now I'm not gonna ask again," he hissed. "Where is it?"**

**"Go to hell," Mark panted. The man responded by throwing Mark to the floor, and his head slammed against the vents as Amy screamed. Chica whined and then growled, and she burst out of the vent and attacked the man.**

**"Get it off me!" He screamed as he fell to the floor. "Get off me you bitch!"  
**

**"Chica!" Mark cried weakly. He sat up and shouted, "Chica, stop!" The Labrador stopped and looked at her master. How could the human tell her to stop when she was only trying to protect him? "Ch-Chica, come here girl." Mark held his arms out, and his dog obediently let go of the officer's wrist and trotted to him. He pet the dog, and then hugged her tightly and buried his face in her soft fur. Seething, the officer got up and held his bleeding arm to his chest. He sneered at Mark and spat two words out:  
**

**"Arrest him."  
**

 


	3. HELP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Separated from his friends and stuck with limited resources, Mark realizes just how dangerous space exploration is.

The crater Mark's escape ship left in the ground scarred the planet. Bits of metal were scattered around, and there was a torn wing dangling from a tree. The wreckage itself seemed lifeless. The ship was torn up good, with the metal sheets battered and dented.

The inside was the worst. The windshield had shattered on impact, and the control panel was broken. Loose wires sparked and snapped with electricity, and the driver's seat was empty; all that was left was the broken seatbelt.

Then the glass on the floor of the ship shifted, and Mark's head emerged from under the broken metal. The crash landing had snapped Mark's seatbelt and sent the engineer flying, leaving him to be tossed around and cut up by the shattered pieces of the ship. It was miraculous that he managed to survive the crash.

Mark pushed himself up and slowly tried to stand, but his foot was wedged under a broken section of metal. He groaned and sat up, disorientated. He rubbed his eyes and grunted, putting his hands over his ears. His ears were ringing, his vision was blurry, and his mind wasn't functioning properly.

Mark sat there for a few minutes until his senses gradually came back under his control, and he took a few more minutes to calm himself down. He survived. If he survived, the other people did. If he made it, then so did his friends. They could be on this planet, or maybe they were stranded on another planet. Mark hoped they were ok, but he knew that he had to take care of himself too. He wouldn't be any use to his friends if he got himself killed out here in the field.

He took a deep breath and analyzed his situation. The heavy metal was putting some pressure on his leg, and his foot felt numb. He had cuts all over his body, and his clothes were torn, but most of the scrapes were minor. His chest felt bruised from the seatbelt, and it hurt to breathe.

Mark gently gripped the metal beam, and he took a deep breath before he pushed it off of him with as much strength as he could muster. Pain shot up his leg as his nerves regained feeling, and a scream burst out from his chest. Mark cursed loudly and gripped his leg, panting rapidly. He shuddered and laid back down, giving his body a moment to recover.

Mark had his eyes closed when the ship suddenly beeped, and a computer voice came on, startling him.

"Warning, severe hull damage, severe initial damage. Emergency ship is offline. Hyperdrive is deactivated, and thrusters are dysfunctional." Mark opened his eyes.

"Tell me something I don't know," he muttered breathlessly.

"The ship has landed on an unknown planet, coordinates are not mapped." The AI continued. "Running a scan..." blue lights flickered on and shined on Mark, and then they went away with a quiet beep. "Scan complete," the feminine voice announced. "Vital signs are unstable, detecting fractures in the rib cage and left fibula, and torn muscle around the ankle. Pressure was dealt to the head, likely resulting in a concussion. Symptoms may include dizziness, nausea, loss of memories..." as the AI rattled on, Mark glared up at the torn ceiling of the ship.

"Are you gonna be my sassy computer wife for this adventure?" He grumbled. When the computer voice ignored him, Mark groaned and sat up again. "Whatever, I'll just call you Karen."

"Affirmative captain," Karen replied crisply. Mark's eyebrows quirked.

"No, I am not a captain!" He argued. "I'm just an engineer. Well, engineer in training, but I already know tons about mechanics. I was top in my class too..." Mark let his sentence trail off as he realized he was arguing with a computer, and he sighed.

"Karen, is my fabricator still online?"

"Affirmative, sir." Mark studied the belt around his waist, and after he sat there for a few seconds and started pushing some buttons until a light shot out of the buckle. Mark's eyes widened as a bottle of water was fabricated before his eyes.

"Cool," Mark murmured. He grabbed the water and unscrewed the cap, and he chugged the whole thing down until it was empty. Now rehydrated, Mark fabricated a gauze and wrapped it around his leg to stop the bleeding.

"Limited resources detected," Karen announced. Mark glared at the ship again.

"Hey, back off sassy computer wife, I just survived a crash landing that could have killed me!" He sassed. "I know the fabricator came with limited resources, I get it!" Mark waited, almost hoping to get an annoying response from Karen, but the AI said nothing. Mark sighed and slowly crawled up on his hands and knees, and leaning against the metal wall Mark got up and limped to the ship's door. Since the ship was offline, the locks were disengaged, so the stranded spaceman had to push against the door a few times before it finally gave away under his weight.

Bright light washed over Mark, and he squinted and covered his eyes until they adjusted. He let his hand slowly drop, and his eyes widened. All around him were green plants and trees, similar to the ones Mark had seen in the textbooks. The sky was a beautiful blue with white fluffy clouds hanging around, and the sun was big and bright. Everything felt out of proportion to Mark though. Since the planet seemed huge as he was burning through the atmosphere, Mark wasn't all that surprised when he realized that the world around him was massive and made him look like nothing but an ant.

As the engineer looked around, he noticed a couple of other things. The solar system he had fallen into was huge, and his tiny body was already starting to feel hot under the sun's large rays. Mark stepped under a tree for shade, and immediately he was already cooling off.

"Ok. Cool," Mark mumbled. The amount of oxygen in this world's atmosphere was a bit overwhelming, and Mark had to sit down on the tree roots and give himself some time to process.

 _The camera!_ Mark suddenly remembered the recorder, and he reached for the side of his head, praying it hadn't shattered. To his relief, the camera beeped in response as he turned it off, and he quickly turned it back on.

"Sorry, I was just making sure it was still working." Mark took a good look around again. "Somewhere along Section C Dimension 6 our ship was interfered by... well, I don't know... the captain mentioned something about a gravitational pull. Maybe he was talking about this planet. We were after all going into Section D Dimension 1, and nothing in Sector D has been explored yet." Mark took a few seconds to check on his foot, which had stopped bleeding. It still hurt like hell, but Mark was satisfied. He could make do.

"I'm initiating Protocol 37, Section 15, number 4 of the Galactic Guidebook." Mark turned on a holographic screen and let it zoom back to show his face. When he saw his reflection, he was almost alarmed; he wasn't looking too good. He cleared his throat and continued. "Please, if anyone gets this feed in time, please come help us," he begged. "I don't know if my friends are alive or not yet, or if the captain survived. Hell, I don't even know where the Aurora crashed, but I'm sending Earth my last known coordinates, so whatever scientist is going to analyze my data, please... help us." Mark was about to go on a whole speech about how dire it would be to help, when something suddenly rustled in the grass.

Mark froze and looked, but nothing was there. He was wary though, so he quickly sent the coordinates and put the camera back on first person.

"Who's there?" The stranded engineer reached slowly for his knife as he made his way down. The grass reached up to Mark's chest, which unsettled him as he realized that all of this beautiful greenery was the perfect cover for hunting predators. He held his knife at the ready as he looked around and slowly walked backwards to the escape ship.

"Karen," he called out. "What are the defense systems able to do?"

"Defense systems are offline," Karen answered cheerfully.

"Oh come on!" Mark yelled. Before he could sass the artificial intelligence, something black and green threw itself out of the bushes and launched at him with a screech. Mark hollered in surprise and dodged, and he turned around to see what was attacking him.

It wasn't there.

Confusion spun in Mark's mind when the creature blindsided him, and Mark screamed in pain as sharp teeth embedded in his arm. He stabbed the creature and managed to kick it off of him, and the monster hissed and growled as it jumped onto his ship.

The creature looked like a lizard, only it was the size of an alligator. It had weird green warts over it, and its mouth had sharp yellow teeth and white foam.

"What the hell is this thing!?" Mark shouted.

"Scanning." As the lizard tackled Mark again and fought with him, Karen continued speaking. "Scan complete. DNA shows similar matches with the komodo dragon's ancestors. Detecting traces of an unknown bacterium. Continuing to monitor."

"Yeah you do that," Mark grunted. He flung the lizard off and ran into the ship, and he pulled the door shut just before the monster could attack again. It clicked and hissed furiously, pacing outside as Mark panted. He seethed and rolled his sleeve up, looking at the bite wound. The lizard had taken a good chunk out of him, but his arm would heal over time. He left the lizard to fume angrily outside as he limped to the other side of the ship.

"Karen where's the first aide?" Karen pointed it out to the engineer, and Mark grabbed the bag and sat on the floor. He rummaged through to see what all he had; bandages, antiseptic, neuro shots, and many more items.

Mark blanched as he pulled out a needle and thread, and he swallowed.

This was going to hurt.

 


	4. Where Am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark gets to come across the first extraterrestrial life, only the alien isn't as alien as he would have thought...

Mark did his best to patch his arm up, but it took a lot of cleaning up and a steel stomach. But nevertheless, he got it stitched up thanks to his survival training.

 _I just hope somebody finds me now,_ the engineer thought as he turned his LifeBit on. Looking at his vital signs, Mark noticed that his number of calories were low, and he sighed.

"Karen, does my fabricator have enough organic material left to make a sandwich?" He asked.

"Affirmative sir." As Mark started pushing the buttons, the computerized AI added, "There is not enough materials for anything else but just a sandwich, captain." Mark hesitated, but then he went ahead and fabricated a tuna sandwich.

"I'll live." To conserve food, Mark ate only half of the sandwich and found a Ziploc bag so he could stuff it in his pocket. All he had to do now was wait for the lizard to leave, and then he could so see where exactly he was. He could still hear it outside, clawing and screeching as it tried to get in, but the metal was too sturdy for the creature to bend the ship's cracks open and get in.

Mark decided to take shelter under the desk panels anyway, just in case it decided to look through the wide open windshield and get in. Luckily it was too stupid to figure that out, but the racket it was making was horrendous. Its claws scratched against the metal as the lizard snarled and hissed. Mark was finding it more appropriate to call the angry thing an alligator, or a flightless dragon. No matter the name, the lizard suddenly stopped, and it growled before it climbed off and ran in the undergrowth.

But while he remained huddled under the desks, Mark felt something before he heard it. Tremors lightly began to shake the ground, but they quickly got louder and more violent, increasing in magnitude. Mark squeezed his eyes shut and clung to a handle under the desks.

 _Fuck, the last thing I need is an earthquake!_ The ship shuddered with each rhythmic thunder, and Mark's eyes opened when he saw the world go dark. _An eclipse?_

Mark gasped into his shoulder when the ship suddenly rocked and rose up in the air, and he gripped the handle tightly as he pressed himself against the wall to fight against gravity.

"Whooaa! This is so cool, a toy ship!" Mark's eyes widened as a loud voice exclaimed. He felt the ship tilt, and the engineer clung to the handle for his life. "Aww, it's broken though." Whatever was the owner of the voice, it had an accent that kind of reminded Mark of Ireland. The ship was tilted again, and Mark kicked his foot against the counter again to steady himself. Whatever had picked up his ship, the last thing he wanted was to let it discover him.

"Is there a remote control somewhere?" Mark's eyes shut tightly as he was rocked back and forth, and his breathing grew heavier as his mind thought of the ocean. _No, no! This isn't the ocean, this is land!_ Mark wanted to slap himself.

"Huh. Maybe someone crashed it accidentally. Oh well." Mark felt his blood run cold when the sentient monster started walking off with the ship, taking Mark with him. Mark's arms were starting to get tired, and he was holding his breath and laying as still as possible.

"Warning, ten seconds of oxygen remaining." _Karen!_ Mark cursed to himself as he felt the giant creature stop.

"You can talk!?" It gasped.

"Affirmative, sir. Scanning."

"Karen stop it!" Mark whispered, gasping in a quiet breath of air. But the damage had been done. His eyes were wide behind his cracked glasses, and he was filled with fear and adrenaline. But while his instincts screamed fight or flight, Mark knew that he could do neither.

"Awesome!" The giant creature shifted the ship. "I didn't know they were making toys that could talk now," it exclaimed. Whatever it was, it was almost shouting with excitement and deafening Mark, but Mark couldn't help but feel a little curious despite his fear; whatever had picked up his ship, it was smart enough to process and express thoughts and emotions like a person.

"Scan complete," Karen replied. "Detecting humanoid traces of deoxyribonucleic acid, and showing similar oligonucleotide patterns. Detecting high traces of serotonin and somatotropin. The pituitary gland is releasing significant amounts of growth hormones, exponentially influencing height, bone density and muscle mass."

"... what!?" Mark winced and continued to lay low. "That sounded like a lot of science gibberish to me!" The giant creature said firmly.

"Levels of aggression, extremely high. Lethality is severely dangerous. Continuing to-"

"Karen shut down! Stop it!" Mark shouted desperately in a whisper. Karen stopped and suddenly powered down with a whirling noise, and the ship turned off.

"... ok, that was really weird." Mark felt the ship rock again as the giant creature resumed walking. Mark had no choice but to stay huddled under the desks and remain hiding. Wherever it was taking him, he would just have to make do and find somewhere safe to go.

 

 

 

 

At first, it was a normal day for Jack. He woke up this morning feeling energetic as ever, and when he walked into the living room he saw that his friend Felix was already awake.

"You woke up early," Jack remarked.

"Thought I'd get some hours in." Felix was pushing the buttons of a controller repeatedly, staring intently at the holoscreen. Jack grinned when he saw that his friend was playing Shadow of the Colossus, and he decided to say nothing more. He walked into the kitchen and fixed himself some breakfast and coffee, and he sat down and began to eat.

"Have you seen the news yet?" Jack asked Felix.

"Nope."

"Well when you get to a stopping point then? I want to see if anything interesting is going on." Felix simply nodded, biting his lip as he continued to stare at the screen.

"I doubt there's anything," He suddenly said after a few minutes. "There's always nothing, just boring things like a neighbor saving a cat from a tree."

"Well, I don't have neighbors," Jack reminded. "It's just me and my old log cabin out near the woods, remember?"

Felix muttered an agreement under his breath, but then he suddenly shouted "NO!" when his character died. He cursed and threw his controller on the couch, and he quickly got up and left the living room. Jack giggled and finished eating, and then he carried his plate to the sink and started washing the dishes.

He smiled at the window as he looked out at the trees, appreciating the pretty forest that he lived nearby. While having a cabin a few miles out from town meant more time to run errands, Jack knew that this place was his home. He closed his eyes as the birds tweeted and whistled their songs, and he let out a relaxed sigh.

When Jack opened his eyes again, he noticed a small trail of what looked like smoke, and he frowned. _What's that?_ He turned the faucet off and dried his hands, and he decided to investigate. Not a lot happened out in the woods, and even when he invited Felix over, Jack was sometimes bored. It was worth checking it out, but it was probably nothing.

Humming to himself, Jack slipped his shoes on and grabbed his jacket off the couch's back, and he put it on before he headed outside.

He walked around with his hands in his pockets, and he looked around for the source of the smoke, but he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. There was nothing but trees, bushes and grass.

After a few minutes of walking, Jack finally saw smoke. His stride lengthened, and he walked over quickly to see what the source was. To his surprise, he saw what looked like a hunk of metal sticking out if the ground. He studied it for a few seconds before he knelt down and carefully picked it up, and his eyes widened. It was a tiny space ship!

"Whooaa! This is so cool!" Jack put his eye to the windshield, peeking inside. "A toy ship!" The interior design was realistic, but Jack realized that somehow the toy had crashed and broke. "Aww, it's broken though..." Jack got up and looked at the ship, noticing that one of the wings were torn off. He looked at the ship for a wireless device to turn it on and off, but he found none.

"Is there a remote control somewhere?" Jack wondered out loud. He turned and looked around at the ground. Tiny bits of metal littered the ground, and the ship's crater had been left in the earth.

"Huh." Jack peered at the ship again and grinned. "Maybe someone crashed it accidentally," he told the trees. They didn't respond, of course, and Jack shrugged. "Oh well," he sighed happily. He held the toy ship to his chest and headed back to the cabin, but as he reached the edge of the woods a voice made him stop.

"Warning, ten seconds of oxygen remaining." This made Jack confused, but his eyes widened as he gasped.

"You can talk!?" Jack held the ship up and looked at it again.

"Affirmative sir." The computerized voice then added, "Scanning." Jack frowned with intrigue and confusion as blue lights turned on at the front of the ship, and it scanned as much of Jack as the tiny spacecraft could, but it could only reach his facial features.

"Awesome!" Jack exclaimed, still looking at the ship. He couldn't make much sense of what it was saying, but since it was broken he decided to let it slide. "I didn't know they were making toys that could talk now!" _Man I wish I had one of these when I was a kid!_ Jack was still grinning ear to ear. _Felix is gonna be so jealous!_

"Scan complete," the voice said. Then it confused Jack with what it said next. "Detecting humanoid traces of deoxyribonucleic acid, and showing similar oligonucleotide patterns. Detecting high traces of serotonin and somatotropin. The pituitary gland is releasing significant amounts of growth hormones, exponentially influencing height, bone density and muscle mass."

Jack stared at the ship with his eyebrow raised. "What!?" He shook his head. "That sounded like a lot of science gibberish to me!" 

"Levels of aggression, extremely high. Lethality is severely dangerous. Continuing to-" He waited for the computerized voice to answer him, but it never did. The lights turned off, and he heard a tiny whirl as the ship finally shut down.

Jack stared at the ship for a few seconds before he finally turned and continued walking. "Ok, that was weird," he muttered to himself. Was it not a toy? Maybe it had some other purpose. Maybe it was a drone, but then why did it have all the details on the inside? Drones didn't need interior design, and for a toy it just seemed too real. And what was it doing out in the middle of nowhere? If it was a toy, no one would have flown it so far out of town.

Jack stopped on the porch and looked at the ship. _Unless it has a camera...?_ Jack frowned and decided to worry about it later. Mysteries could wait a little longer, it wasn't like the ship was in flying condition anyway. He unlocked his door and went back inside the cabin, and he walked into the spare bedroom and set the ship down.

"Ok." Jack sighed and knelt down at the bedside, and he peeked into the windshield again. "What the fuck are you?" He whispered.

 


	5. A Whole New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Mark struggles to survive in the cabin without getting caught, Jack and Felix discuss the extraordinary "meteor shower" when the Aurora crashed, and they're on opposite sides of the conversation.

Mark's muscles were getting tight. Jack had been poking and prodding at the ship for a good five minutes now, and with the shaky walk to the giant creature's cabin, Mark was tired. His body wanted nothing more than to let go and sleep, but the engineer felt like if he made the slightest move, then the monster would catch him.

He still had no idea what Jack was, and he didn't know where the giant had taken him. Were they inside a den, or maybe a cave? Mark couldn't tell, but a heavy groan of metal interrupted his thoughts.

"Aha!" Jack grinned as he pulled open a small door. Now to see what was inside. He set the ship back down and peered in. It was too dark inside to make out much, but he saw how badly the ship was beat up. His eyes stopped over a spot on the floor, and he frowned. _Is that... is that blood!?_ Jack slipped his fingers through the door and reached in to see.

Mark's eyes widened as he watched Jack successfully pull the door open, and he resisted the urge to scream when giant pale fingers reached into the ship. Mark put his hand over his mouth to muffle his breathing, and he pressed against the wall, praying that the shadows would keep him hidden.

"Jack!" The fingers stopped, and after a few seconds they rested on the ship's floor, and then they quietly pulled out. Mark slumped in relief as Jack set the ship down, and the giant frowned at his hand before he turned and left the room.

"What did you want Felix?" He asked, distracted. Felix gave him a confused look; he didn't know what Jack brought in the house, or why he was acting so strange, but he decided to not say anything.

"The news is on, you said you wanted to watch it."

"O-oh, right." Jack sat down beside Felix, still staring at his fingertip. "Hey Felix, look at this." He showed his hand to his friend, and Felix's eyes widened.

"Did you fucking cut yourself?"

"No." Jack shook his head. "It's-it's blood, but I don't think it's mine. I found it in this small toy ship I got from outside in the woods."

"Huh." Felix frowned as Jack sighed and looked at the tv, and then his eyes suddenly widened.

"Hey, unmute it!" Felix fulfilled Jack's request, and Jack watched the news with shock.

"This morning there was a meteor shower, but unlike any usual one this decade. Scientists discovered a metal ship unlike anything we've ever seen that crashed out in the Brooklyn Meadows, and they're even reporting an invasion of a new species." Jack's jaw dropped when the camera showed a huge burning ship.

"That's it!" He practically shouted. "That's what it looked like, but much smaller!" Felix looked at Jack with wide eyes as the newswoman rattled on.

"The discovery of this species would be phenomenal, so if you find anything out of the ordinary or extraterrestrial, please report it. According to the scientists, the creatures are about two to three inches tall, and they would like a live specimen to discover more..."

"Are you sure?" Felix asked. "What if one of the creatures that they say entered our atmosphere was on that ship you found? What if it's out there right now, in the woods? We should report it!"

"No!" Jack blurted, and then he winced. "I mean... everything in the ship was so tiny, and the door was so small. I don't think they're harmful."

"Jack, look. Look at that ship." Felix waved at the screen. "Look at how much damaged it caused! Equipment like this is only as good as its operators. I think that whatever entered our atmosphere, they're here for selfish reasons." Jack excitement fell from his face, and he looked down at the small red smudge on his finger.

"... but," Jack started saying, and then he stopped and sighed. "But this one's hurt."

"Jack, I know you mean well, but I really do think that they're dangerous." Jack looked up at Felix.

"... can we not report it?" He pleaded. Felix looked at Jack for a moment, then looked away and scratched his head.

"If you don't say anything, I won't," he sighed. Jack lit up like a Christmas tree, and he squealed gratefully.

"Thanks Felix!" He raced to the door and threw his shoes on as fast as he could.

"Where are you going!?" Felix exclaimed.

"To find the creature!" Felix groaned and shook his head.

"Well... good luck then." But he found himself already talking to an empty doorway.

 

 

 

 

Mark was frozen in place, listening. He heard Felix and Jack talking, and he certainly heard what the news said. _The Aurora crashed on this planet too?_ Mark was overwhelmed by the very thought of his friends being treated like experiments, but when he finally got up and went outside, that took the icing on the cake.

"Oh... my... god." Mark stared at the room with wide eyes, and he fell to his knees. Everything was huge and human like! His ship had been placed at the center of a large bed, and it appeared that he was in some sort of spare room; at least, that was Mark's train of thought. _Holy fucking shit...!_ Mark sat there, dumbstruck. He knew he should have suspected it when he saw how big the plants were, but hot damn did he feel more helpless than ever.

 _You need to get out of the open,_ Mark reminded himself. _If those giants find you, then you're as good as dead._ Mark forced his muscles to work as he stood up again, and with shaky legs he stumbled back into the space ship. He looked around and gathered up supplies he would need; a grappling hook, the emergency kit, and the remainder of his sandwich were his primary choices. When he was ready, Mark hurried out of the ship and ran across the bed as fast as he could go. He ignored the pain in his leg and stopped at the edge, and he looked down.  Mark blanched and backed away. 

"That's a long way down," he murmured. He heaved his chest and took a deep breath, and he grabbed his grappling hook. He aimed carefully, muttered, "Please let this work," and he fired it. The grapple sailed through the air, and when it landed on the end table it wrapped around the alarm clock's leg. Mark tugged on it a few times, then took a deep breath, and he jumped. For a few seconds he was in free fall, but then the line tensed under his weight, and Mark found himself a few feet above the ground. A "phew" escaped his lips as he slid down and let his feet touch the floor, and he retracted the grappling hook.

"Made it," he sighed. _Now I just got to get out of here._ He looked up at the bed that towered over him, and he said goodbye to the ship that had safely brought him onto this planet Mark then turned his back away and started walking. 

The carpet was like grass full of weeds, tugging at Mark's clothes and constantly tripping the young engineer. Mark grumbled and cursed as he made his way across the room, but by the time he reached the doorway Mark realized how slow he was going. _This is impossible!_ Mark sank to his knees and rested for a moment, exhausted. _How the hell am I suppose to make it out of this house!?_ Mark leaned against the door frame and yawned. He was beat. He was too tired to cross another room.

As he sat there, he heard the front door open as Jack came back inside the house.

"There you are!" Felix had been waiting for his green haired friend in the kitchen. "How'd it go?"

"No sign of the creature." Jack took his shoes and jacket off, and he sat down on the couch with a heavy sigh. "I found a tarascota with the Carar Virus though. It already had green warts all over it's body," he said quietly. Mark sat up with wide eyes.

"Is it dead?" Felix asked. Jack's silence answered the question. Felix sighed and sat back in his seat. "It's not your fault," he said.

"That's not the worst part." Jack's voice was somber. "It had blood on it's mouth, I-I think it ate the creature!"

"I'm sorry Jack," Felix replied, sympathetic. "But you did your best. I know you care about all kinds of creatures. Remember that little green beetle?" Jack, having buried his face in his hands, looked up at Felix. His eyes were wide and shimmering with tears.

"It almost drowned in the rain," he croaked. He laid his cheek down on the arm rest. "I named it Sam... what about it?"

"When it stopped raining, you let it go." Felix reminded. "You saved it, but you can't save everything. It isn't your fault." Jack sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

"I know," he grumbled. "I'm a fucking grown man, I understand the circle of life."

"Would you like for me to stay a couple more days?" Felix offered. "I'm sure Marzia wouldn't mind if I stayed here a little longer, if it's alright."

"No." Jack sat up. "You told Marzia you'd be back by Monday. Tomorrow's Sunday." Felix looked ready to argue, but as he stared back at Jack's icy eyes he shrugged.

"Whatever's cool with you dude." He said nothing for the next few seconds, then decided to try and distract his friend from Mark's assumed death. "You wanna show me the space ship?"

Mark was sitting against the wall, dumbstruck once again. The argument in the other room was almost touching, and the stranded engineer even felt kind of bad for Jack; he didn't feel bad enough to show himself though, that would be suicidal. But when Felix asked to see the ship, Mark realized that he needed to move and go hide. He glanced around as the giants' footsteps approached, and as a last resort Mark hid behind the door frame and pressed his small battered body against the wall. Jack and Felix walked into the room, completely unaware of the tiny man hiding just barely out of sight.

"That looks like a dog's chew toy," Felix remarked.

"Yeah." Jack opened the tiny door again and turned the ship so Felix could look inside.

"Whoa!" Felix exclaimed. As the giants checked the ship out, Mark took a good look at them from his measly hiding place. They were gargantuan; he himself was so infinitesimal, but the giants... there were simply huge! That was the only word Mark could think of. From his vantage point, it was hard to tell but to Mark it looked like Felix was taller than Jack. As he watched them interact with the ship, he wondered how small his body was to them. The ship door looked like it was about the length of the giants' index finger; since he was a little smaller than the ship's door, the proportions gave Mark a chill down his spine.

"Well it's a damn shame you couldn't find the creature." Felix closed the ship door and sat back. "What are you going to do with it?" Jack stroked his goatee and shrugged.

"I don't know," He admitted. "Maybe keep it in here, for now."

"What were you even going to do if you found the creature?" Felix asked. "Catch it?"

"Well... yeah." Jack grinned sheepishly. "I wouldn't just let it run off, I wanted to find the creature and get to know more! We don't even know what they look like!" Felix looked ready to argue, but he held his tongue since Jack looked so excited.

"Well, maybe whatever it was, the creature didn't die." Felix gestured at the ship. "If it's smart enough to build and control one of these all on its own, then maybe it was smart enough to escape from that tarascota you found. Maybe it didn't even get attacked, maybe it's with others of its kind." Mark ducked away and hid once more as Felix turned and walked out of the room. Jack stood there for a few seconds before he sighed and looked at the ship.

"I hope you're ok little duder," he murmured, and he brushed his fingertips over the intricate lump of metal before he turned and followed Felix. Mark stood still as the footsteps faded, and when the giants left the hallway he slumped against the wall.

And Mark fell asleep instantly.

 

 

 

 

**"Tell me, Mr. Fischbach, do you know why you're here?" Mark looked up as the chief of the police force spoke.**

**"I-I had a dog," he whispered hoarsely. He moved his hands, and the cuffs clattered as he sat up. "Please sir, she's a good dog, she listens, and she's really sweet-"**

**"Tell that to my commanding officer, he's in the hospital with thirteen stitches," the man replied bluntly.  
**

**"She was just protecting me..." He sat down on the opposite side of the desk and sighed, looking Mark square in the eye.  
**

**"Boy, you are in a heap of trouble." Mark's eyes cast down guiltily. "Harboring an animal, lying to the officials, disobeying the laws." The man leaned forward and stared at Mark. "Kid, these rules aren't here just for the hell of it. They exist to control the population, for the benefit of us all." He opened a holograph tablet and gazed intently at Mark. "Now I want you to tell me, who did you buy her from?"**

**Mark shook his head.**

**"Mr. Fischbach, I understand how hard it's been, I really do," the chief sighed. "But rules are rules. Just tell me the truth and I'll tell them to take it easy on you."**

**"I didn't buy her." Silence stretched the time from second to second. The man scowled.**

**"I don't believe you." Mark looked up at the man, tears in his eyes.**

**"Please sir," he whispered. "I  found her the day Law thirty eight was put into action. It was after Amy and I checked out that we found her. She was just a puppy, cold, dirty, hungry. There was no way I could have turned a blind eye, how could I?" Mark shook his head. "If you want to punish someone, do it to me, do it all to me, but please leave Amy out of this, and let her keep Chica." The man was quiet for a few seconds, but then he got up and said one simple word that shattered Mark's heart.**

**"No."**

 


	6. It's Just a Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life isn't all fun and games you know.

"Uh, sir?" One of the researchers looked up from his computer and raised his hand.

"What is it?" The man pointed the commanding officer to his computer.

"The Aurora sent out a distress signal, and now it's off our radar."

"It's probably in Sector D now," the officer replied crisply. "Those are uncharted waters."

"I know, but the Aurora never made it to the mark on the edge of Sector C. They were suppose to check in with us, but they never did." The researcher changed the screen and pulled up footage. "And you need to listen to this sir." He pushed play.

"Somewhere along Section C Dimension 6 our ship was interfered by... well, I don't know... the captain mentioned something about a gravitational pull. Maybe he was talking about this planet. We were after all going into Section D Dimension 1, and nothing in Sector D has been explored yet." The screen was shaking, and the speaker sounded out of breath. When the man continued, he turned the camera to third person, and the commander could see why the young man was so shaken. "I'm initiating Protocol 37, Section 15, number 4 of the Galactic Guidebook," he continued.

"A distress call?" The commander sat back as he watched. "Protocol 37 says to activate a rescue fleet."

"Please, if anyone gets this feed in time, please come help us," the man begged. "I don't know if my friends are alive or not yet, or if the captain survived. Hell, I don't even know where the Aurora crashed, but I'm sending Earth my last known coordinates, so whatever scientist is going to analyze my data, please... help us." The man was about to say more when something rustled, and he tensed. The third person perspective turned off, and the researcher paused the recording.

"... is he still alive?" The commander looked at the scientist. He nodded.

"Yes, yes sir. He got attacked by what his escape ship tagged similar to a komodo dragon. He survived it, and the most recent feedback showed that he was hiding in the ship, waiting for us to send help." As he said that, the screen suddenly beeped and opened another video file. The commander looked over the scientist's shoulder again.

"And what's that?" He asked. The researcher's eyes widened.

"It just updated. Mark Fischbach is still alive."

 

 

 

 

When Mark woke up, he was more tired than when he fell asleep. _How the hell is that possible?_ He wondered as he sat up. He glanced at his LifeBit, and he groaned when he saw that he had slept through lunchtime and through most of the night. Since this world was proportionate to Earth, the time cycles were oddly enough somehow synced. But at the moment, it was three in the morning, and all the lights were off.

Mark shivered. When he was directly in the sun, it was hot, but when he was indoors and in the shade it was nice. But now that the sun was gone, he was freezing.

 _Goldilocksiplier here, at your service,_ his mind mocked. Mark grumbled to himself as he shivered and grabbed his equipment. He left the spare room and trekked across the carpet, wondering where he could find a good place to keep warm. The first room he passed was filled with Felix's loud snoring, so the engineer decided wholeheartedly to not go in there. The second room he walked by was the bathroom, which he didn't need. Not that he could operate anything in there anyway.

Mark stopped and looked in the third room. The snoring in there was much quieter than Felix, and it was only loud enough to where Mark could tell that Jack was sound asleep. He hesitated at the doorway, then looked down the hall. The living room was still a ways away.

Mark sighed and walked into the giant's room, and the first thing he noticed was Jack's messy green hair. The giant had fallen asleep with his feet propped on the pillows, and his head was laying on the far side. All Mark could see from his place on the floor was the back of Jack's head, which was fine by him. It meant that Jack couldn't see him, and the light snoring told the stranded explorer all he needed to know.

Mark stopped at the foot of the bed and craned his neck, and then he looked under the bed. There was a shirt that had been discarded under the mattress. Mark's curiosity peaked, and he walked under the bed to take a look.

It nerved Mark when he saw how small he was compared to the simple article of clothing. He circled it once, twice, and then a third time before he set his stuff down and cautiously approached it. While he knew it was just a plain old red shirt, Mark hoped that nothing else had gotten cold and used his idea of sheltering in the folds of the shirt.

But after he did some poking and prodding, Mark determined that the coast was clear. He brought his stuff with him as he looked at the shirt, trying to think of the best way to utilize it. _If I just sleep on top of it, then anything could find me._ Mark explored a few ideas, but when he found the shirt's chest pocket, he knew that was his best shot.

He pulled up the top of the pocket and ducked in, and he set his stuff down at the bottom of the pocket and sat down. Mark looked out at the large world beyond the bed, and he quietly let the thick fabric drop and conceal him in the shirt pocket.

The engineer grabbed a flashlight from the emergency kit and turned it on. He set it down and started going through his stuff, checking what provisions he had and making sure it was all organized. Once that was done, Mark took a look at his leg. It didn't look good. It looked infected, in fact. _I should do a self scan, see how much longer my body needs to heal._ Mark let his pant leg drop and pulled the scanner out of its holster, and he scanned himself.

"Performing self scan. Detecting foreign bacteria." Mark's eyes widened.

"What!?" He whispered. He scanned again.

"Bacterial infection has spread to the skin and pulmonary system. It is imperative you find a way to neutralize the infection." Mark rolled his sleeve up and pulled the bandaging off his forearm. To his horror, he realized that there were small green pimples growing around the bite.

"No," the mechanic whispered, horrified. He had an infection! The skin around the bite was bruised and dimpled with the weird green dots, and Mark winced as he made the connection.

 _The lizard thing that bit me... that was the tarascota Jack found!_ Mark wondered if there was a cure. If there was, then the giants had to have it. _I can't just walk up to Jack and ask for it though._ Mark shook his head and let his sleeve drop. The engineer sighed and laid down. _Who knew that surviving on an alien planet was so hard?_ Mark closed his eyes and sighed quietly.

_I need medicine more than anything... but I hope the others are having better luck than me._

 

 

 

 

Mark was woken up by Jack's yelling. His heart skipped a beat when he thought the giants were fighting, but then he realized he could only hear Jack's voice. _What's going on?_ Sleepy, the little man climbed out of the shirt pocket and sluggishly walked out into the hallway. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he wandered into the living room. The voice got louder and louder until Mark was in a short hallway opposite of the first one.

"There was a lady right there! Uh, motorbike helmet man, did you see- sir!?... nobody saw that, ok." Mark looked in the room to see Jack wearing the coolest thing he had ever seen. He had two wireless earbuds in, and they were projecting blue light all around the room. There was a holographic helmet on the giant alien's head, and the light around him was playing a screen that showed what Jack was playing.

 _Whoa._ Mark's eyes widened. _This must be their version of a VR headset, but its so high tech and three-sixty!_ Keeping out of sight of the camera he noticed was recording Jack, Mark sat down beside the shelf to watch. _Maybe he's whatever the equivalent of a YouTuber is,_ Mark realized.

"Um, we're gonna get in and do this." Jack pressed his hand down in midair, pushing a big virtual button. Mark watched with awe as the digital world around Jack began to change. "Good fucking Jesus that's loud!" Jack yelled, jumping at a noise. "Holy god!" He fidgeted with one of the earbuds. "Um, but I think I might have to jimmy this around a little bit because it starts off in the wrong orientation, it's like-" The alien cut off when the game finally loaded, and Jack scowled.

"This is loud as hell!" He remarked. "See, it starts me off looking out into the ocean.." Mark's awe turned to horror when Jack turned around; not only was it nerve racking to have the giant facing him and so close without knowing Mark was even there, but when he turned around the game was finally revealed. On the screen displayed a tiny city that was helpless to the player.

"And then I have to turn around to see the actual level! Which sucks, so I'm going to teleport all the way down here, and then face backwards." Jack looked down and pointed his hand to teleport in the game, and Mark couldn't help but flinch and wonder if it was a good idea to stay and watch. It felt like Jack was looking right at him! He waited until Jack turned around and faced the computer desk in front of him again, and then Mark slowly relaxed and continued to nervously watch.

"Yay!" Jack stepped forward and bent down. "Come here! Come here you little car!" Mark felt horror rise up in him as Jack picked up a virtual car. The giant held it up to his eye level and grinned. "Look at this- hi!"Jack squealed. "How's it going!?" Jack peered at the digital character in the car, then his smile dropped as he looked up at a virtual spaceship. "Wait, does it tell me what time I have? Oh it does, that's awesome. I have a minute and a half left, great." The giant turned back to the digital car he held in his hand and beamed.

"Look at him, he's so tiny!" Mark felt his chest tighten when Jack pulled his arm back and carelessly threw the car away. "Awoosh! Yes!" Jack cheered as the car tumbled into a garage. The garage was smashed to bits, and behind the car Mark saw fake blood.

 _Oh my god._ Mark was frozen with horror as Jack continued playing and destroying an office building. _That could happen to me!_

"Hello little people!" Jack sang, crouching down to reach for the tiny virtual citizens. He tried to pick one of them up, but the game wasn't fully developed for it. "Oh I can't grab the people." Jack's eyes widened as he suddenly found his hand holding a trash can. "Oh god, I can grab the trash can though!" He threw it aside and kept going as Mark put his hand over his mouth. The stranded human had suddenly come up with a horrifying thought. He was imagining a scenario where all his friends had found him, but instead of these digital people and whatever Jack was calling the g-men, his mind was fabricating a vision where he and all his friends were running away vainly from the green haired giant.

"Bang!" Jack laughed. He had just picked up a car and squished on of the little digital people like they were a bug. "Oh, bye!" He waved the car before smashing it into a another building. "Oh god. I feel like-" Jack paused the game and turned to the camera. "I feel like a child who has a toy, and like, a little toy village, and he gets to go around and mess it up, but I hate the orientation!" _We're not toys!_ Mark's mind screeched as the giant resumed playing. _Please tell me that's not what the giants would think if they ever discovered Earth!_

"Oh no!" Jack yelped. "Sorry helicopter. Aw, awesome." He turned around and noticed a car cruising past his foot, and he stooped down to grab it. "Gimme yer car!" His grin grew wide as he held the car up to his face. "I like how I can see the little people inside!" Jack gushed. He held the car closer and smiled widely. "Hi!" He awed. Then he chuckled. "I'm just talking to nothing right now I'm talking to my own hand." The giant opened his mouth and pretended to dangle the car in as if to eat it, but then he laughed and tossed the car up in the air. "And wwhheeeeeeeeeeee up you go! Catch it- fuck!" Jack picked the car back up. "I didn't catch you dude, sorry. Oh, I killed him! Yes!" He used the car to destroy another building, and then threw the car.

"Fuck the buildings!" He shouted with glee. "Oh god." He bent over to pick up another car. "It really gives you a great sense of scale and how small everything really is!" But Jack thought little of this comment he made. He was too busy enjoying the cool game.

Mark, on the other hand, felt faint.


	7. Infected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The infection in Mark's system has gotten worse, how much longer can he handle it? Will he survive?

"Caution: detecting atypical fluctuations in blood plasma proteins. Systems are showing signs of physical failure. A cure is indispensable." Mark sat quietly under the couch, and for a moment he didn't move. After he absorbed the news, he set the scanner down in his lap. He looked at it for a few seconds, and then Mark slowly looked up. Under his eyes were dark bags from exhaustion, and his hair was an absolute mess. His skin was pale and shiny with perspiration, and his muscles had gotten smaller and weaker. Every breath he gasped into his lungs was raspy, and the engineer had to fight back a cough.

Mark knew he wasn't faring very well. He had been stranded on this planet for only two days, and so far no sign of any help on the way. He didn't know if his friends were ok either, but Mark was determined to keep optimistic. Jack and Felix still had no idea that Mark was hiding in the cabin, and Mark hoped he could  keep it that way. Felix had successfully insisted on staying over for one more day, so today was his final day with Jack before he had to go back home.

Mark was still trying to figure out some kind of schedule where he could look the things he needed, but even nighttime scared him. Last night through his exhaustion he had tried going into the kitchen, but Felix had gotten up for a drink, so Mark was stuck under the table for an hour. And then when he tried to continue, the sheer size and mass of this world stopped the engineer from being able to open a cabinet! He was lucky enough for his fabricator belt to absorb a couple drops of water that Felix left, but Mark was getting really thirsty. His tuna sandwich was gone, and he needed to hold out until rescue came. Maybe they would even have a vaccine for whatever infection was making his body go on the verge of deterioration.

And whenever Mark slept, he slept for long periods of time, but he never felt more rested. If anything, it was a sure sign of how his health was crumbling, because he just felt so tired, and he was exhausted all the time!

 _I need my strength back._ Mark sighed quietly and curled up in Jack's shirt. When his expedition to the kitchen had failed, Mark had decided to move out of Jack's room and hide out under the couch with the shirt in tow. It was big and offered plenty of shelter, and in the short time Mark had been here he never saw either of the giants look under. It was a little dusty, but Mark thought he could manage. But right now, all he wanted was sleep.

The stranded man closed his tired eyes and nestled in the pocket, and he passed out almost instantly.

 

 

 

 

**It was dark. Mark couldn't see anything, but he could feel plenty. He was running, and his chest was tight and heaving with fear as he sprinted for his life.**

**His surroundings suddenly formed out of the darkness, and Mark's eyes widened. He was in the city from that virtual reality game!**

**"Hey, c'mere!" Mark turned his head, and adrenaline made him run faster. Jack was right behind him, and he was trying to catch the stranded engineer.**

**But no matter how much effort Mark put in, it just wasn't enough. A shadow fell over him a large trunk like fingers swooped down and curled around Mark, and Mark screamed as his feet left the ground.**

**"Got ya- Aw you're so cute!" Jack held Mark up to his face and grinned. "Hi! Aw you're so tiny!" Mark was in a full blown panic, squirming and trying to thrash out of the giant's fist, but it was no use. He just wasn't strong enough. He wasn't fast enough either; he was completely helpless.**

**"Look at you! You're so realistic!" Awed, Jack loosened his fist so Mark would pull his arms out to try and escape, but then he tightened it again and brushed his fingers along Mark's arm.**

**"This is awesome! You're so real looking!" Mark squirmed as Jack held the engineer's arm out and looked at it, studying the tiny man's hand and fingers. Mark whimpered and tried to pull away, but the giant barely even felt his struggles, furthermore not even reacting to them.**

**As Jack continued awing over how small Mark was, Mark was still terrified. Then the giant suddenly said excitedly, "I wonder how good you taste?" Mark's eyes widened as Jack's hand shifted, and he suddenly found himself dangling over Jack's wide open mouth and being held on to by nothing more than the back of his shirt.**

**"W-WAIT! Wait!" Mark screeched. "I'm not-" He was let go of, and Mark found himself plummeting into darkness.**

 

 

 

Mark's eyes snapped open, and a scream was on the tip of his tongue. He was drowsy and confused, but he managed to stop himself from screaming out loud.

 _He fucking ate me!_ Mark recalled his nightmare and shuddered, covering his eyes and groaning quietly. _That was horrible, and fucking terrifying!_ Tears were gathering in Mark's eyes, and he whimpered. _Damnit, no! This is not the time to be a crybaby!_ The mechanic sniffed and and waited for his tears to go away before he sat up, but fear was still making his limbs tremble and his heart race.

 _Jesus Christ, that was awful!_ Mark shivered and wiped sweat off his forehead, but then he frowned and put his hands over his temples. _I'm burning up._ He looked through the emergency kit and found a thermometer, and he took his temperature.

 _One hundred and nine degrees._ Mark stared at the numbers. _I'm definitely sick_. Shivering, he put the temperature reader away and huddled miserably in the soft thick shirt, still feeling cold and burned out. He was still no closer to feeling refreshed. If anything, he felt much worse than before.

He managed to fall asleep again, but the fever dreams gave him no good sleep as they plagued his mind, and he started tossing and turning in his sleep.

 

 

 

 

"Have you seen my shirt Felix?" Jack yelled.

"What?" Felix shouted back from the kitchen.

"My shirt!" Jack looked under the bed again before he got up and fast walked to Felix. "The red one, remember, with the chest pocket? It's one of my favorites, I wore it all the time, but I must have misplaced it."

"Where did you last see it then?"

"... under my bed," Jack admitted. Felix rolled his eyes.

"Well no wonder it left you, you must have been an awful father." Jack snorted.

"Dude, this isn't funny! I love that shirt!" He snapped. Felix held his hands up in surrender, and then he waved his pickle around.

"Relax! I'm sure it'll turn up." He soothed. Jack sighed as Felix took a nice crunch out of his pickle, and he chewed before adding, "It couldn't have gone far, right? It's a shirt, it can't go anywhere."

"I guess you're right," Jack grumbled.

"Always am." Felix winked before taking another bite of his snack. Jack sighed and went into the living room to sit on the couch. He hoped it would turn up soon, there was only so many Game Grumps shirts he could wear before enough was enough!

"You hungry?" Felix asked. "It's already nine o'clock, and you haven't had any supper yet."

"I'm fine," Jack mumbled despondently. Felix sighed and finished his pickle.

"Ok, well I'm going to bed, so goodnight."

"Night." Jack watched Felix return to his room before he sat back and turned the tv on. With a tired sigh, he closed his eyes and listened to the news. There was no new information on the whereabouts of whatever creatures had penetrated the world's atmosphere and crash landed, but the scientists apparently had discovered charred remains of some of the creatures that perished in the crash. They announced that the DNA patterns were extraordinary and unique, and contained traces of chromosomal framework that were similar like the people that dwelled on Jack's planet. This made Jack think back to what Karen said.

Jack found himself starting to doze off when the end table suddenly scraped against the carpet and moved a few inches, and Jack's eyes fluttered open.

"Hello?" He turned the tv off and listened, but nothing happened. "Felix, are you fucking with me again?" Jack called out, irritated. When he got no answer, he sighed and got up. "It's too late for this."

He walked around the couch and checked out the end table, suspicious. At first, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, but then he frowned when he noticed something small and pressed up against one of the table legs. It was tiny, fragile, and it was trembling.

Jack's eyes widened, and he gasped when he realized what it was; it was the alien creature, and the creature was a tiny man.

 

 

 

 

Mark gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled his sleeve up. He took a few seconds to steel his nerves, and then he looked down at his arm. The bite on his forearm had festered and it was rankle. The infected area had bruises and some sort of green warts growing, which were also forming on his hand. _It sure as hell hurts..._

Mark let his sleeve drop and forced his aching body to get up. He needed medicine. But more importantly he needed to get off of this planet and find a way back home. The fabricator wouldn't work for something like this; he needed his people's help.

Mark glanced up. His thin horizontal line of vision was narrow under the gargantuan couch, but it was also blurry. He could barely make out the giant's shoes, despite how large and close they were. Whatever infection had gotten a hold of his body, it was taking its toll. Mark wiped the sweat off his forehead and weakly sighed, and he started walking. He stumbled to the side of the couch and stopped under the end table. He shuddered, then doubled over with a groan. Everything hurt so much, it felt like a tarascota was ripping him apart one fiber at a time.

The stranded mechanic tried to stand up and keep walking, but his muscles gave out, and Mark found himself slamming into the table leg with his arms  wrapped around it. The wood squeaked as the small glass table was turned a few feet with Mark's weight. Through the muffled ringing that buzzed in Mark's ears, he heard the tv turn off, and his breath left his chest as the sofa squeaked.

"Hello?" The loud Irish sounding voice called out. "Felix, are you fucking with me again? It's too late for this." Mark's eyelids drooped as he heard Jack slowly get up. Then it felt like the world was put in slow motion; one thud after another the giant came closer, and closer... Mark groped at his waist until he felt the hilt of his dagger, and as his fingers wrapped around it he heard Jack come around the corner. A gasp reached Mark's ears, and he froze. He heard Jack crouch down and move the end table, and Mark collapsed when his support was moved away. He fell to the hard wooden floor with a grunt of pain, and the giant muttered, "What the fuck...!?"

Mark's heart raced in his chest as a shadow fell over him, and he grabbed his dagger and acted quickly.  He rolled and slashed his weapon, and Jack yelped and jerked, pulling his hand away.

"Ow!" Jack sucked on his cut finger and stared at the tiny man with wide eyes. Mark's head was pounding as he stared back with bleary eyes, and he stumbled back as the giant reached for him again. Panting, Mark pressed against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut, covering his face with his forearm as he braced himself.

Seconds ticked past, and when nothing happened, Mark slowly opened his eyes to see that Jack was watching him with rounded eyes, and his brow was curved up in concern. He was looking at the nasty wound on the space engineer's arm.

"Oh shit," the giant murmured softly, his jaw hanging open slightly with shock. "You're hurt!" Mark trembled, oily tears leaking down his cheeks as he imagined all of the worst possibilities. What would the giant do to him? Would he keep him in a cage, or maybe eat him? Maybe he would do the worst and turn him in to the officials, like the news had asked all residents of this planet to do, then maybe he would be experimented on or dissected in the cold name of science. Lots of gruesome deaths were being calculated in Mark's sluggish thoughts as his arm wavered, and he slumped against the wall. It was all just too much for him. He never wanted this, he never wanted to die! He still had so much more to do, so much more to see. And he still needed to find his friends...

The knife dropped with a clatter as Mark fell over on his hands and knees. He could barely keep his eyes open now, and his muscles shuddered with effort to keep the human upright. He heard Jack sharply inhale as the giant laid down on his stomach and peered at Mark.

"You ok little duder?" He asked with concern glimmering in his bright blue eyes. Mark slowly looked up at the giant, and he slowly opened his mouth in an attempt to say something. Instead, his muscles gave out, and he fell flat on the floor with a whimper.

"Felix!" Mark watched as the blurry giant got up and ran out of the living room. "Felix wake up, I need your help!" The mechanic blinked, and then his eyes slowly closed as he went limp and passed out.

 


	8. Stranger Danger!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Jackaboy to the rescue! But can he save Mark in time? Can Mark trust this giant?

"Felix!" Jack raced into his friend's room and shook Felix awake. "Felix, Felix wake up!" Jack shouted.

"Jack? What the fuck man?" Groggy, the startled giant sat up and ran his hand through his hair. Jack ignored Felix's confusion and shook him again.

"I found the alien, but-but Felix it's a tiny person!" Jack blurted. "And he's hurt, and he's got the Carar Virus and if you don't do something-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down a second man." Felix frowned. "What do you mean you found a tiny person!?"

"Just come quick, damnit! Please! I-I think he's dying!" Unenthusiastic, Felix got out of bed and followed Jack to the living room. Jack sprawled on his stomach and pointed where the end table once stood.

"He's right here." Felix got down beside Jack and squinted. At first his eyes passed over the small body, but as his brain started waking up he finally noticed Mark. His eyes widened, and he leaned closer. The small creature was laying on his side, and he was deathly still. His arm was limp and out in the open area in front of his head, where Felix could make out small specks of green from the infection.

"Holy mother..." Felix cursed under his breath and sat up. "This is so bizarre!" He shook his head. Jack glanced up at Felix.

"Can you save him?" He asked. Felix saw that Jack was frightened for the tiny man's life, and he sighed.

"I don't know. I mean..." He looked at Mark again. "It's from a whole other world, it might not even respond to the treatment."

"Please!" Jack back, tearing up. "Can't you at least try? It wouldn't be right to just let him die! It just isn't fair." Felix sat there in silence for a few seconds, but then he sighed and nodded.

"Alright... But don't touch it," He warned. "It could be carrying other diseases we might not know about." Jack nodded solemnly and scooted back. Felix got up and left to go get something, while Jack sat and took another look at his new cut. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but it surprised the giant when Mark had slashed at him. Jack rubbed the cut on his fingertip with his thumb and looked back down at Mark, and he noticed the knife. _Oh, that's what he got me with._ Shame washed over Jack when he realized that Mark had only lashed out at him because he was afraid. _And then I had to go and try to fucking grab him,_ Jack thought grimly.

Felix came back with a medical kit, and Jack backed away to give him some space. "You're lucky I work in the med department," Felix grumbled. He put on black gloves with silver rings around the knuckles, and he opened the kit up on the coffee table. Jack watched as Felix carefully reached down and pinched Mark's shirt, and Felix carried the small man at a certain distance from himself and set him down on the table.

"So where did it even come from?" Felix asked as he set to work.

"Behind the couch, I think- hey! My shirt!" Jack had leaned over and craned his neck to look under the couch, and he reached out to grab his precious shirt.

"Wait, don't touch it!" Felix glanced at Jack with a serious look in his eyes. "We don't even know what this thing is yet," He reminded. Jack puffed his cheeks out as he sighed loudly, and he hugged his knees to his chest and watched Felix.

"... is he gonna be ok?" He asked quietly. Felix didn't look at Jack when he answered.

"I'll do everything I can. But I can't promise anything for sure." Jack paled as he watched Felix pull out a needle filled with a yellow glowing liquid, and he turned away for a moment.

"Where do you think he came from?"

"Who knows." Felix set the empty syringe down and sighed. "I didn't even know space travel was possible. All we've ever done is advance our technology here on our planet." Jack nodded and looked back at Mark. _The poor little dude..._

"How badly injured is he?" Jack asked. "With a crash like that for a little guy like him, there's no way he got out of that unscathed." 

"Well what can I say? We have quite the enigma here." Felix lifted Mark's arms and frowned at the tiny person, and then he shook his head. "It's too small for me to tell."

"Him," Jack said quietly. "I think it's a him." Felix gave him a look but didn't say anything. 

"Why don't you go eat?" He suggested. "I saved you some leftovers." Getting the hint, Jack sighed and moped into the kitchen. Felix turned back to Mark as Jack heated up some leftovers, and he curiously brushed the engineer's hair out of his face to get a better look at him. _... where did he come from?_

Jack sat down with his dinner, but all he did was pick at his food, trying to not think about how badly Mark was probably hurt. _I hope he's ok._

 

 

 

 

Jack was gently shaken awake by Felix.

"I scanned your shirt," he announced. "It didn't have any diseases or foreign traces of bacteria, but I did find this." Jack rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed to see what all Felix was holding in his hand. He frowned.

"That looks like a medical kit," the giant remarked. "And- is that a gun!?" Felix nodded and put the small various objects in Jack's hand.

"Well they were all in your shirt pocket." Felix tossed the shirt onto Jack's bed and left the room, but he raised his voice to keep talking. "And I scanned the little guy too, he doesn't have any diseases other than the Carar." He came back with a Mason jar, and Jack's eyes widened.

"You put him in a jar!?" He gasped.

"Well yeah I had to. He's still sick, and there's still gonna be traces of the virus in his system for a little while." Jack stammered when Felix handed him the jar.

"B-but, but what if he wakes up?"

"He'll probably be pretty confused about how he's still alive," Felix replied crisply. Jack set Mark's stuff down and held the jar with both hands, gripping it tightly.

"Are you already packed up?" He asked. Felix nodded.

"You'll do fine without me. All I did was my job, you can decide whether you want to keep that thing or not." After the conversation, Jack and Felix said goodbye, and Felix left. He had kindly rejected Jack's offer to drive him home since he had his hands full.

Jack stared blankly at the doorway for a moment, and then he looked down at the jar and lifted it up to peer inside. Mark was still unconscious, and as Jack looked at him his mind couldn't help but compare the tiny but brave man to a child's doll. He slowly sat down on the edge of his bed, and he set the jar in his lap and sighed. Now that he had found the creature, he didn't know what to do.

He turned and made to set the jar down, but he stopped when he felt Mark slide into the glass with a solid thump. Jack winced, and then moved slower. Careful, he placed the jar on his end table and sat down on the floor to look inside. Mark's back had hit the jar's walls, but he was still unconscious, and he looked ok. Relieved, Jack unscrewed the lid open. He grabbed his shirt and put it in his lap, while his other hand reached into the jar.

But then he thought about when he tried to grab Mark, and he winced and pulled his hand back out. _Ok, how am I gonna do this?_ After struggling for a few minutes, Jack managed to cover the bottom of the jar with his shirt, and he managed to get Mark safely settled down in the fabric without touching him. Sighing in relief, Jack left the lid off even though it had breathing holes, and he picked the jar up and took it to his recording room. He held the jar against his chest, hugging it to his body with the fear of dropping the strange small creature.

He made it to the room without any incidents, and he cleared a space on his shelf to put Mark on. He went over to his webcam and dialed a few things on its small projected screen, and he nodded to himself. Mark was out of the camera's sight.

Once everything was set up, Jack decided to go ahead and do a video. Mark wouldn't wake up for a while anyway, and Jack really wanted to try out a new game.

 

 

 

 

Mark's head was spinning. His senses were overwhelmed, and his body was sore and ached all over. The surface under him was soft and warm, and to his relief it felt familiar.

He stirred and slowly opened his eyes. At first, his vision was blurry, but the engineer blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes. Mark realized that he was swaddled in Jack's old red shirt, and he relaxed _. It was all a dream._ He sighed in relief and closed his eyes. _Jack didn't find me..._

But as he laid there, Mark grew aware of a familiar Irish sounding voice cutting through the silence. He opened his eyes again and looked up, but then his eyes widened with horror _. I'm in a jar!_ Panic hit Mark as he wildly sat up and looked around. His small panicked pants echoed against the glass walls, but to his relief he wasn't suffocating; the lid was left off, but the glass walls were too high to climb.

As he took in his surroundings, Mark noticed that Jack was sitting at his desk, his back to Mark. He had these cool high tech headphones on, and he was playing some sort of game on the strange but cool looking holographic computer. His eyes locked on the camera, and Mark froze. _Is it on? Is it watching me?  
_

"Aw look at the little child," Jack suddenly murmured. "Cool picture." Mark tilted his head and looked at the holoscreen. In the game, there were pictures of a young girl on a shelf, and there was a journal in front of them. Since Mark was being held captive, he sat and watched as the giant opened the journal. 

He couldn't directly see what Jack was thinking, but opposite of the shelf he was stranded on there was a mirror on a closet door, which allowed him to see Jack's facial expression. He was frowning curiously as the opened journal, but then his eyebrows suddenly quirked. This in turn peaked Mark's curiosity. He dug through his pocket and pulled out his broken glasses, and the engineer peered through them to see what was going on.

"Dear diary," he murmured, reading to himself. "I'll be gone soon, but I wanted to tell somebody about what's gonna happen. It started when mom sent me to bed without dinner..." _What game is he playing?_ Mark wondered as the screen changed. More narrative words came up as the game showed a dark bedroom, and Mark kept reading.

"I woke up and I was starving. So I looked around for something to eat." Mark glanced at the mirror. Jack gave no sign of hearing the spaceman reading. Mark had a feeling that he wasn't aware of him waking up yet. "The gerbil food was dry, but I didn't mind it." Mark wrinkled his nose as Jack grimaced.

"I mean, a carrot's a carrot, that's good sustenance right there," the giant commented to the camera. He walked his character up to the shelves and opened a pumpkin.

"My candy was all gone," Mark continued. He squinted and glanced at his glasses, wondering if he could fix them somehow. He looked back at the screen and kept reading when the character went up to a door and shook the knob.

"Mom, can I come out now?" The girl called out.

"Sweetheart, it's late. Go to sleep!" Jack's expression was perturbed, but then he brushed it off.

"But I'm starving!" He shouted to the wall. He shook his head and walked his character to the window. "You terrible parent... don't send your kids to bed without supper, that's sad!" Jack checked out the night sky and relaxed a little. "That's cool looking." He turned and walked over to a dresser, and he peered into a fishbowl. "Hello little fish!" Jack cooed softly.

"I thought about eating Christopher, but I held back." Jack's lips curled, disgusted.

"Thank god you did! Poor little Christopher..." As Jack looked around some more, Mark realized that he was starting to relax too. He tugged on the shirt and bundled a small part of it up, and he laid down and rested his cheek on the improvised pillow. He continued watching Jack play, and as he did he listened intently. He found himself smiling a little whenever Jack said something comical, but as he kept listening he realized that the giant was keeping his voice down... most of the time.

 _Is he doing that because he thinks I'm still asleep?_ Mark suddenly wondered. The thought struck him out of the blue, and the engineer looked at the mirror. The blue eyed giant was focused on the game still, but Mark knew he could use his vocal chords if he wanted to. _Maybe he doesn't want to hurt me,_ the mechanic realized. _Or eat me, like in that bad dream I had. Maybe he's just as wary of me as I am of him!_ Mark hoped that was the case. At least that would mean he'd have some kind of leverage over the giant.

Still tired, Mark closed his eyes and listened as Jack kept playing, and he found himself slipping into sleep.

 

 

 

 

**Mark sat silently on his cot, tears streaming down his cheeks.**

**"There has to be another way," he cried. Amy shook her head sadly. She was crying too.**

**"The chief said that the only way we can keep Chica is if we go on the Aurora and join their next expedition." Then she tilted her head and glanced out the window. "I thought you'd like that Mark," she pointed out. "You love space, you completely nerd out at the very chance of going."**

**"But Chica!" Mark buried his face in his knees and sobbed. "What about Chica!? Who's gonna take care of her while we're gone? I can't just leave her!"**

**"She'll be ok," Amy soothed. She put her hand on Mark's shoulder and rubbed him comfortingly. "They're gonna let her stay with Bob and Wade-"**

**"But that means we won't get to see her for a year!" Mark burst out. Amy gently hushed him.**

**"It'll be ok Mark. She'll be ok, and we'll be ok. It's only a year, it's not forever." She smiled a little. "And besides, you geek out when it comes to space." Mark sniffed, and rubbed his eyes.**

**"I guess." He sat there quietly for a few seconds, and then he widened his eyes. "Did you say the Aurora?"**

**"Yeah." Amy nodded, and Mark smiled.**

**"Ethan, Katheryn and Tyler are going on the Aurora," He exclaimed. Amy gasped.**

**"You're right! I remember them saying that at dinner the other week!" Mark kissed Amy's forehead.**

**"You're right. I love space, but family is more important." He looked into Amy's eyes and smiled. "And you and Chica are my family." Amy blushed and kissed his cheek.**

**"I gotta go now." Mark nodded and squeezed her hand before letting Amy go. "I love you," Amy murmured, wiping tears from her cheeks.**

**"I love you too." Mark glanced at the window before calling out, "Hey, Amy?"  
**

**"Yes Mark?" He looked at Amy.**

**"You're right, it's gonna be ok. I'm gonna make this all better, I promise. And you know I never try to break my promises."  
**

**"I know you don't," Amy soothed. "Just get some rest, ok? I'm gonna go talk to the chief." Mark nodded and watched Amy leave, and he sighed and stared at the wall.**

**_Please let everything go ok. Please let me return home safely to my family._   
**

 


	9. Friend?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack are finally face to face. Could this odd relationship work?

After Jack finished recording, he turned everything off and got up to check on Mark. 

"Aww." The rough edges on Jack's countenance softened, and he smiled. The young engineer was curled up in Jack's shirt and snuggling the thick fabric. He was sound asleep,  and he also looked a lot more relaxed than Jack last saw him. _I hope that means he's getting better_. Jack carefully picked the jar up and slowly walked to the living room, trying to keep his strides from swaying. He was still holding the jar to his chest when he sat down on the couch. With a nervous sigh, Jack glanced down at Mark.

_Now all I gotta do is wait for him to wake up._

 

 

 

 

Mark slowly opened his eyes. He was feeling a lot better than yesterday, but his body was still sore, battered and injured. With a groan, he sat up and decided to take a look at his leg. When he pulled his pant leg up, he noticed that his ankle already had new dressing on it. _What?_ Mark frowned and gently touched his foot. It was a little off and sloppy, but it was in place to get the job done.

Mark tried to remember what happened before he passed out. He remembered how awed Jack was when he saw him, and then he had looked concerned and sympathetic when he'd seen Mark's arm. The engineer recalled collapsing to the floor and seeing Jack go and get Felix. _Felix bandaged my foot?_ Mark pulled his sleeve up and, as he guessed, his arm had new gauzes wrapped around it as well.

 _Wow._ Mark pulled his pant leg back down and let his sleeve fall. _That was really... considerate._ He was still trying to persuade himself that maybe, just maybe, he was lucky; out of all the giants that could have picked his ship up, he knew how fortunate he was to have Jack, of all giants, pick his ship up. Who else would mistake a tiny ship for a toy? Certainly not a violent inconsiderate giant. Mark could feel in his gut that Jack was nice and had good intentions, but he could also feel that the giant probably had no idea just how gravitational his actions were.

Mark flinched when his stomach let out a miserable growl, and the mechanic folded his arms over his midsection with a small sigh. _Where am I anyway?_ He looked around and realized that the jar had been moved. He was now in the living room, placed on the coffee table and facing the holoscreen tv. The news was on, and they were talking about how extraordinary it would be if Mark's people were sentient and could talk. All kinds of new and exciting information could be squeezed out of them if they could just get a live specimen...

Fear and horror fluttered through Mark, and he could hear his breathing get shallow as he started panting in fear. His mind was too creative for his own good. _What if they catch the crew? What if they catch Amy!?_ Mark was perturbed at the idea of someone hurting Amy and his friends.

"You understood that... didn't you?" Mark froze and turned his head. Jack was standing in the kitchen, watching Mark. Mark didn't know whether to answer or not, but in the end his sassy attitude got the best of him.

"Do you understand that it's not nice to shove someone in a jar?" Mark grumbled loudly. Jack's eyes widened, and then he smiled.

"Sorry." He carried a sandwich into the living room and sat down. Mark leaned back a little and looked up, and his boldness wavered as he was reminded of how small and weak he was. Jack thought little of sitting so closely though, smiling at Mark before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"So, do you have a name? My name's Jack."

"Uh..." Mark found himself staring as Jack chewed. "Y-yeah, my name's Mark..." he grimaced as Jack swallowed his mouthful and took another bite, and he looked away as Jack chewed thoughtfully.

"Hmm... Mark." Jack swallowed again and tried the name out. "Mmmmaahrk. Mmeerrk, M-Mahrk." He grinned. "It suits you."

"Thanks," Mark mumbled. He was still staring at the sandwich, which Jack noticed and frowned.

"You want some?" He offered. "It's got ham and cheese."

"Sure," Mark replied, trying to not sound scared. The bites Jack had taken out of the sandwich were bigger than him. _It's like Attack on Titan..._ He was shaking in his boots, but Mark knew he had to keep up a strong front. He had to be strong, for Amy and his friends. Jack pulled apart a small piece of the sandwich and put it in the jar. Mark cowered when Jack's hand swooped in, but then he relaxed when the giant made no move to grab him and pulled his hand out, leaving the piece of sandwich behind. "Thanks." Mark picked the piece up and started nibbling on it, but he felt his ears turning red as Jack watched him eat with fascination, and he tried to ignore it.

"So what are you?" Jack suddenly asked.

"I'm a human," Mark answered between bites. Jack rested his arms on the table and peered into the jar, fascinated.

"What's a human?" Mark looked up and jumped when he saw how close those huge ocean blue orbs had gotten; they were just hovering like headlights in front of the glass.

"Y-you don't know what a human is?" Mark squeaked. Jack shrugged and shook his head.

"How would I? We've never been off this planet before. None of us have." Mark's eyes widened as his jaw dropped.

"Never!?" He exclaimed. Despite all the difficult and death defying events he had been through, Mark couldn't imagine being trapped on Earth with no way to go into space, not when his heart called him into the stars!

"Never!" Jack shook his head. "The scientists on our planet said it wasn't possible, so instead everyone focused on making our own technology better." Mark felt sympathy bloom in his chest, and he realized that he had started to relax around the giant. While his acquaintance was gargantuan and could kill him with one wrong move, he actually felt like he was having a genuine conversation with Jack. At least the giant had emotions, and Mark was good with those.

"That's awful." Mark finished his tiny portion of the sandwich and looked up at the rim of the jar. Jack went back to eating his sandwich and finished it quickly. "Hey, um..." Mark looked up at Jack. "I don't mean to be rude or anything, but can you please let me out now?" Mark was hoping that the word please meant something on this planet.

"Sure." Mark felt relieved until Jack held his finger up. "On one condition," Jack continued. Mark's heart sank.

"Wh-what is it?" Jack looked at Mark with a serious look in his intense gaze.

"When I get you out, you won't try to run away," he said solemnly. Mark bit his lip.

"Does... does that mean you're going to hurt me?" The spaceman dared to ask. Jack's eyes flew wide open.

"What!? No!" He exclaimed. "I just meant it's dangerous out there, I don't want you to get hurt!" Mark sighed in relief, and then he nodded.

"O-ok, good. Good..." He stood up and walked to the glass wall, placing his hands on the jar. "But I also have a condition." Jack frowned and tilted his head.

"What is it?" He asked, curious.

"You can't pick me up." Mark saw Jack's expression soften, and feeling braver he pressed on. "You can't carry me, or grab me," he declared. Jack slumped in his seat.

"Oh... you don't trust me." Mark frowned in sympathy when he saw Jack look down sadly.

"It's-It's not that Jack, I just have boundaries," Mark stammered. "This is my first time on a giant planet, so I'm just having a hard time adjusting. In case you didn't notice, I don't belong here." Jack suddenly brightened up and smiled.

"Then I'll give you the best damn first impression I can!" He exclaimed. Mark winced and covered his ears, and Jack smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. I'm used to being loud," he apologized, chuckling. Mark relaxed.

"It's ok." He looked up at Jack. "So, do we have a deal?" Jack beamed.

"Deal!" He quietly cheered. Mark smiled nervously as Jack reached over and picked the jar up.

"How am I gonna get you out without picking you up though?" Mark thought for a few seconds and pointed at the floor.

"Just put the jar down on its side and I'll climb out," he told Jack.

"Ok!" Jack crouched down and turned the jar over on its side. Mark immediately found himself tumbling, and he was suddenly sprawled face first in the shirt. "Oops, sorry," Jack giggled. Mark clawed his way out of the shirt and walked to the rim of the jar. He took a deep breath before climbing out, and just like that he was out in the open. He was free, and the giant was on his side... mostly.

"So were you the one that took my shirt?" Jack asked, picking the jar up to get his shirt out. Mark's cheeks reddened, and he blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh, yeah kind of," he admitted. "It got really cold at night for me."

"You think it's cold at night, wait until winter starts." Mark's heart sank. Would he be stranded on the planet long enough for the autumn season to pass?

"It's the end of summer, right?" Mark craned his neck and watched as Jack unfolded his shirt and smoothed the wrinkles out of it.

"Yeah." Mark shivered.

"I'm gonna fucking die when it gets cold," he mumbled. Jack looked down at Mark.

"Aww, you don't have to worry! I won't let you freeze." Mark smiled gratefully, and then he realized that there were tears in his eyes. He sniffed and tried to wipe them away, but instead the salty teardrops trailed down his cheeks. _Why am I crying!?_ Mark couldn't tell whether he was crying because he was scared of dying, or if he was just getting emotional at the idea of finally having somewhere safe on the planet. "Safe" kind of stretched the truth though. Mark knew Jack was still big and unpredictable.

"... Mark?" Jack had frozen and looked down at the small engineer with alarm shining in his wide eyes. "Are you- are you crying!?" He exclaimed. Mark found himself letting out a laugh as he covered his face, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I just get really emotional!" He giggled. "I tend to be a bit of a blubbering crybaby." Jack felt his chest squeezed as he watched the tiny man sob into his hands, and he couldn't resist reaching down and gently rubbing Mark's head. He was surprised by how soft his black floofy hair was, and he continued to comfortingly pet his small acquaintance.

"It's ok little buddy," he cooed. "It's ok, Jackaboy's got ya. You'll be A ok."

 


	10. Trust Issues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark has some barriers to get over when it comes to his doubts about having Jack as his giant ally, but maybe they can work it out.

"Are we all ready?" The officer looked at the rest of his fleet.

"Yes sir!" The men chorused.

"Then let's get out there and get our men back!" The officer buckled up and shouted, "Asteria, plot a course for Sector C, Dimension 6."

"Affirmative, captain." The officer put his feet up on the desk and smiled as he watched his fleet sail out of the space station.

_Rich and vast resources, here we come!_

They flew out into the dark glittering sky, radio feed buzzing and calling as men communicated back and forth.

"We have successful take off captain."

"Hyperdrive is online and ready sir."

"Team 1 is ready."

"Team 2 awaits your command captain." The officer smiled to himself and crossed his arms.

"Asteria, let's go for a little galactic hop across the stars."

"Yes captain." The ship's began to whirl and hum, and one by one they stretched and shot off into space like slingshots. The captain waited until the rest of the ship's hopped, and then he ordered for his vessel to follow once he knew everyone had safely gone into hypermode.

"No man left behind," the commander murmured to himself, amused. _How ironic that sentence is._

 

 

 

 

"So how exactly did you crash then, if the ship was in perfect condition?" Mark looked up from the bottle cap filled with water, and he shrugged.

"I don't know. One minute we were fine, the next minute everything was falling apart." Jack hummed thoughtfully and looked up at the table.

"You sure you don't want to go up on the table? It'd be easier for you to see, and I could just-"

"No thanks." Mark knew what Jack wanted. He could see it clear as day in the giant's eyes, the yearning and fascination every time those large blue eyes passed over Mark's fragile body. But Mark had made Jack swear to not pick him up, and even though the giant was obviously curious he was respecting the promise and keeping it, which Mark was grateful for.

Jack winced at Mark's dry reply. "Sorry, just a thought," he mumbled, sitting up. Mark sighed and took a long drink from the bottle cap. He didn't mean to be curt with Jack, but he had to set the boundaries and establish them as quickly as possible.

"Do you have a job?" He asked, changing the subject. Jack's energy came back, and he grinned.

"Yeah! I make videos for people around the world to enjoy," he answered cheerily. _So he is a YouTuber, technically._ Mark smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I saw you do some of your videos..." Mark's words trailed as he stopped and remembered the virtual reality game.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked, worried. "Are you hungry? Do you need more water? Are you cold? Or maybe your leg's hurting? I can get you something if-"

"No, I'm ok," Mark stammered, interrupting the giant's stream of worried words. "I'm just a little homesick, I guess," he lied. He didn't want to make Jack feel bad.

"Oh." Jack shrugged his shoulders as he hunched over Mark. "I'm sure you'll figure out a way to get home," He said.

"I sure hope so," Mark mumbled. His face was buried in his hands now, rubbing his cheeks anxiously. _I wish Chica was here, I miss her,_ he thought sadly. _I hope Bob and Wade are taking good care of her back on Earth..._

Jack, sensing Mark's distress, was quiet for once as he laid down beside the small human and watched him at even eye level. Mark pushed his bangs out of his face and sighed.

"So what do you do?" Jack suddenly asked, resting his cheek on the floor and still looking at Mark. "What's your job? All you told me is how your ship crashed."

"Oh, I'm an engineer." Mark set the bottle cap down and sat. "Well, I'm only an apprentice, but I know lots. My dad taught me all I know though." He blinked a few times and sighed. "He was a great guy..." 

"I bet," Jack murmured sympathetically. He gave Mark a small smile, and Mark found himself smiling back. _This is good,_ he realized. _We're taking baby steps. We're getting to know each other and see past our differences. I'm not sure the others would be the same though, so I have to be careful with how much information I reveal..._

"So Jack." Mark looked down at his dirty clothes, and then looked back up at the giant with a sheepish grin. "Could you get me a small bowl of lukewarm water? I could really use some washing up."

"Sure!" Mark flinched when Jack quickly got up and went into the kitchen, and the engineer told himself to calm down. _Baby steps..._ Mark was still nervous about the giant's immense size and strength, but he knew that if he wanted to survive then he would have to learn to just get used to it.

"Is this too warm?" Jack returned to Mark with a small bowl in his hands. He set it down on the rug that protected the floor from the coffee table, and Mark walked over to see. He stood on tiptoe and reached into the bowl, soaking his hand. He relaxed.

"That's perfect." Then he looked up at Jack. "I need to wash my clothes too, so can you just put this in the bathroom?"

"Yeah, sure," the giant replied cheerfully. He let Mark back away before he got up and carried the bowl to the bathroom. Mark flinched before following Jack, but he kept some distance between him and the giant's feet just in case.

"Is there anything else you need?" Jack asked after he put the bowl down on a towel. It was on the floor so that Mark could reach it.

"Just shut the door behind you please," Mark asked politely.

"Ok, but if you need something just holler." Mark nodded, and Jack left the bathroom, shutting the door almost all the way. He left it open a little for Mark to leave the room whenever he was done.

 _I'm glad he's respecting me and not treating me like an animal or a baby._ Mark got onto the towel and felt the water again. It wasn't too hot, but it wasn't cold either; his Goldilocks side was satisfied. _I wouldn't say I trust him though,_ Mark thought to himself as he took his hand out of the water. He looked down at his plain black shirt, and he sighed before he took it off.

_But I certainly wouldn't say I repudiate him either._

 

 

 

 

Mark found himself feeling refreshed as he walked into the living room. His skin was still moist and his hair was wet and wild, but he already had his jeans on to keep decent. His shirt was still wet, so the engineer had left it hanging up in the bathroom to air dry.

"Feel better?" Jack asked. He was in the kitchen making supper, but he had noticed Mark walk into the living room almost immediately.

"Yes I do, thanks." _Either he has keen eyesight or he was looking out for me._ Mark felt grateful both ways, but then he realized that this was an opportunity to collect data for his crew.

"I'm gonna go check on my ship," he called out.

"All right." The spaceman walked out and headed down the hall, and he stopped when he was standing beside the bed. He looked up and reached for his grappling hook, and then he cursed when he remembered that all of his stuff was in Jack's care. _I'll have to ask him for it back later._ Mark looked at the covers. They were low enough for him to climb up, but the virus had left the mechanic weaker than usual.

 _I can do this._ Determination sparked in Mark's mind. _I can get on a fucking bed by myself._ The engineer stepped up to the bed sheets and touched them, and then Mark reached up and pulled himself up, and he began to climb.

As Mark climbed his way up the side of the bed, he kept using his upper body strength to guide him up. But as he made his way up higher and higher, his injured arm began to hurt.

 _I have to make it,_ Mark thought stubbornly. He grit his teeth and kept climbing, ignoring the screaming soreness in his muscles as he started sweating. _I have to make it!_

 

 

 

 

**"Faster Fischbach, faster!" Mark panted as he leaped and grabbed the narrow ledge, and he pulled himself up. He pressed against the rock wall and peered down.**

**"Was that better?" He rasped.**

**"No. You're wary." His trainer climbed up after him, his movements deft and experienced. "You doubt yourself, and you're too cautious. You're not gonna hurt the rocks, ok? So go faster next time." The man looked at Mark with a serious look. "Let's try again. I want you to get to that ledge in under fifteen seconds." Mark's eyes widened.**

**"What!? But-"**

**"Time starts now!" The man snapped. Mark gasped and started climbing. "Faster!" The trainer shouted. "Faster! Like your life depended on it!" Mark tried to grab the ledge, but his hand slipped. He yelled as he started falling, but the trainer managed to grab Mark and push him against the wall.**

**"Because one day," he said, looking Mark square in the eye. "It will."**

 

 

 

 

"Mark!?" Mark gasped and lost his grip when Jack exclaimed. He screeched when he started falling, but instead of landing on the carpet he bounced onto a softer surface. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, and he watched with wide eyes as Jack groaned and sat up.

"What the fuck were you doing!?" Jack yelled. "You could have gotten hurt!" Mark was frustrated. He sat up and bristled, indignant.

"I was fine! I almost made it!" The engineer snapped. "If you hadn't thrown me off guard I would have made it!"

"Dude you're still sick! You're hurt, you shouldn't be climbing!" Jack shook his head and muttered angrily, "I never should have promised to not hold you. You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I'm fine!" Mark snarled. He stopped and realized what he was saying, and he was washed over with guilt. With a groan, he covered his face with both hands and sighed heavily. He didn't seem to realize that he was laying in Jack's hand.

"M-Mark." Jack's voice lowered as he sat against the wall and held the tiny man in his cupped hands. "I get it, I think. It's a matter of independence for you, to be able to things yourself without having to look to someone else for help. And," He gently added. "I know we just met, and you don't trust me... but I want to help." When Mark didn't answer him, Jack pressed, "You're on an entirely different planet, remember? It's not that you can't take care of yourself, but here you're alien." Mark sat in silence for a few more seconds before he finally looked up and met Jack's eyes.

"I'm sorry," He said quietly. "I shouldn't have gotten cross with you. I'm just..." The young mechanic sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm just frustrated, but I shouldn't take it out on you." Jack smiled a little.

"It's ok dude. No hard feelings," he assured. "So, you good?" Mark nodded and looked away, and he suddenly realized where he was.

"Jack!" He yelped. His hands shot up as he looked up at the giant. "Put me down!" He exclaimed.

"Nah." Jack smirked. "You're grounded little buddy." Mark narrowed his eyes and lifted one eyebrow.

"Grounded," He echoed flatly.

"Yeah, since you can't seem to function without supervision," Jack chuckled. He ruffled Mark's hair with his finger, and Mark ducked as he gave Jack an inappropriate hand gesture.

"Fuck you Jack," he laughed. The giant simply beamed.

"Oh you wish you could!" Mark rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Whatever boosts your ego. How am I grounded?"

"Simple!" Jack laid his hand on the floor and let Mark climb off. "Don't get comfy down there," he warned. There was a mischief twinkle in his eyes as he got up and left the room, and Mark stared at the doorway. _What is he planning?_ Mark wondered.

A few minutes later Jack walked back in the room wearing the red shirt Mark had been sleeping in.

"Why'd you change?" Mark asked, staring blankly at the giant. All Jack did was crouch down, smirk and pat his chest. Mark frowned before he realized. "Oh _fuck_ no, you are not-" The engineer took a step back. "I am not going in your pocket!" He snapped.

"Why not?" Jack raised his brow. "You seemed pretty comfortable sleeping in it."

"Yeah, when you weren't wearing it!" Mark exclaimed. "I'm not going in there!"

"Well, then I guess we have some trust issues," the giant cheerily pointed out. "We'll have to start with something small." Mark chortled. "No offense," Jack added, snickering.

"So what do you suggest, King Kong?" The small man asked with a huff. Jack hummed thoughtfully and stroked his beard.

"How about... I'm allowed to carry you, but only if you give me permission?" Mark frowned, thinking on it.

"... fine," he mumbled. "But if you pick me up when I don't want to be picked up, I _will_ bite you." Jack grinned.

"Deal." He put his hands together flat on the floor, and Mark gave his gargantuan acquaintance a glance before he sighed and walked up to them. He couldn't help but poke at the strange surface, and Jack's fingers twitched like a Venus flytrap about to close on its prey. A shiver went through Mark as he remembered how small and fragile he was, and not to mention he was still sick.

"Don't worry," Jack suddenly murmured. "I won't drop you." Mark looked up, surprised. Did Jack know that was what he was worried about? He nodded at the giant before looking back down at Jack's hands. _Come on, I have the balls for this!_ Determination surged through Mark again, so he nervously grabbed Jack's thumb and used it to pull himself up and climb onto his hand. The surface sure felt weird, it radiated warmth and felt a little off balance.

Mark was frowning, concentrating as he walked into the center of Jack's palm and sat. He sighed and wiped sweat off his forehead, and the mechanic then looked up at Jack.

"... Well what are you waiting for, an invitation?" Jack's eyes were wide with awe. Mark was so surreal to the giant; his weight was probably about the same as a handful of paperclips. He was painfully aware of how tiny his new friend was, and a warm glow of protectiveness coursed through him.

"I was waiting for a snarky comment, actually," Jack stammered. He slowly lifted his hands up and kept them slightly cupped. Mark tensed until his hands stopped moving again.

"I thought I was suppose to be the one all tongue tied; you ok?" He asked. Jack realized he needed to keep his overexcited spirit grounded, so he shrugged.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" Mark teetered when Jack shrugged, and he placed his hands firmly on the surface below him to keep himself from falling over.

"Right." Mark sighed and looked up at Jack. "Just be careful, ok? Your movements have a lot more gravity than you think, and I doubt my life insurance will cover me here." Jack laughed, but he remembered well to keep his voice down so he didn't burst Mark's eardrums.

"Aye aye, captain!"

 


	11. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting through those cold stormy nights with someone to keep you company can be reassuring.

Jack wasn't the only one astounded by this new arrangement. Mark was fascinated by how strange it felt to let someone literally carry your life in their hands. It was a breathtaking experience for them both.

Mark was doing pretty good at hiding his feelings, but Jack was obviously in absolute awe, and he was smiling as he carefully carried his little buddy into the kitchen.

"Was that ok?" Jack asked as he put his hands on the table. Mark got up and carefully climbed off before he turned around and answered the giant.

"I don't want to complain, but every time you took a step you kind of swayed too much," he admitted. He was being honest; every step that Jack took made Mark think of a boat rocking in the ocean, which only made him even more nervous about being in Jack's hands.

"Oh, sorry." Jack crouched down to Mark's eye level. "Guess we still have a lot to learn, huh?" He smiled. "We'll get there, though. Don't worry." Mark nodded as Jack got back up and went to the oven. "How's your leg?" He asked as he used oven mitts to pull a pizza out. Mark's mouth watered, and he found himself staring at the pizza.

"It's all right I guess," he mumbled, distracted. All he could think about was that delicious pizza and its amazing smell wafting to him. Jack noticed and smiled.

"I'm guessing you have pizza back on your planet?" He guessed correctly. Mark nodded. He was almost drooling as he ogled the pizza hungrily. Jack chuckled and got himself a plate before he started cutting the pizza up.

"Don't worry little dude, Jackaboy's got ya." He carried his plate to the table and set it down, and he grinned at Mark eager expression. "I'm not a savage, I'd never stop anyone from eating pizza!" He laughed. Mark giggled and walked up to the rim of the plate.

"Best thing I've ever seen, a giant fucking pizza!" The engineer exclaimed. Jack laughed as he got a knife and cut the tip off for Mark.

"Well here you go." He pushed the small piece to the plate edge. "Dig in!" Mark didn't need to be told twice. He reached and grabbed the greasy food, and Mark bit hungrily into it.

"Oh my god," he moaned. "Oh my fucking god! This is so good, I almost forgot what pizza tastes like!"

"Man, how long has it been since you've had pizza?" Jack was surprised when Mark had scrambled for the tiny share of pizza, and while he understood that pizza was an amazing food... "It sounds like you've gone without pizza for quite a while," Jack remarked as he bit into his own share. He melted at the flavor and sighed pleasantly. Pizza was amazing. _Too bad I didn't get the Pricklyapa pizza though._

"Yeah." Mark nodded and tore hungrily at his piece. "Mostly we've had to eat dry-fast microwave food, and if we were lucky we could find an orange or something else to eat."

"You mean for the whole space travel thing?" Mark hesitated.

"Uh, y-yeah." There was no reason for Mark to tell the giant how bad things were back on Earth. He didn't like lying, but he still had to protect his people. "Up in space, there's not really a kitchen," Mark pointed out.

"Which is horrible!" Jack gasped. "What if you want to heat up some cheese dip!?" Mark burst out laughing and nodded.

"Exactly!" He spent a minute giggling until his laughter calmed down enough for Jack to ask, "Do you have a family? Other than yer father, I mean."

"Well I have a mom, of course, and a brother... Do I have a girlfriend, you mean?" The giant nodded, and Mark hummed thoughtfully. "Last I checked, yeah," he answered in a flat tone. "But she was on the Aurora, and I'm not sure if she or my friends are ok..." Jack frowned and put his hand behind Mark.

"It's ok." He used his finger to rub Mark's back. "I bet they're ok," he assured. Mark flinched and pulled away from Jack's hand.

"Yeah, I hope so too," he stammered. Jack flinched when his tiny acquaintance flinched away from his hand, and he decided to keep his hands to himself for a little bit.

"It was a big ship, they all could have gotten out, just like you did," he pointed out.

"Hopefully." Mark looked down at his greasy hands and let out a sleepy yawn. Jack finished his pizza and washed his plate, and then he walked over and put his hand on the table.

"Come on sleepyhead," he said as Mark climbed on. "You could use some beauty rest." Mark squinted suspiciously up at the giant.

"Are you trying to say something!?" Jack chuckled as he carried his little buddy to his room.

"Maybe!" Mark rolled his eyes and yawned again as Jack let the engineer off on his bed. He watched as Jack got another one of his shirts and a small empty box. Curious, he kept watching. Jack took the top off the box and put it down on his nightstand, and then he folded his shirt up and pressed it in to the box.

"It's a bed," Jack finally explained when he was done. "Well, a temporary one at least, but I folded the shirt up to where you can use the pocket."

"W-wow..." Mark was floored. "J-Jack, I..."

"You're welcome," Jack said with a smirk. "You can kiss my ass later." Mark played along and scrunched his nose up.

"But I don't wanna!" They both laughed together as Jack moved his tiny guest onto the nightstand.

"Well, get some rest buddy. There's gonna be a storm some time overnight." Mark shivered as he imagined how loud thunder would be on this planet. Would the rain hurt him?

"I am so glad I'm under a roof," Mark muttered to himself as he tried the bed out. He sank in the layers of the folded up shirt as he crawled in the pocket, under Jack's curious eyes.

"Well?" The giant asked excitedly. Mark poked his head back out.

"It's great, thanks."

"No problem!" Looking pleased with himself, Jack left the room while Mark laid down with a sigh. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and he almost dozed off when Jack walked back in with a bottle cap.

"In case you get thirsty." He carefully set it down beside the bed, and Mark could see that it was filled to the brim with water.

"Thanks man." Mark smiled before he yawned again and curled up in his bed.

"I'll just leave you to it then," Jack mumbled, stepping back. Mark opened one eye and grinned.

"Goodnight Jackaboy," he teased. Jack chuckled and smiled back.

"Night Markimoo!" Mark was thrown off guard by this. _Markimoo?_ He stared blankly as Jack turned the lights off, and as his eyes adjusted he heard the giant lay down and get settled in his own bed. _What, is that just a nickname, or is that suppose to be a pet name?_ Mark sighed quietly and laid down on his side, scolding himself. _Don't be stupid, be nice, Jack's nice, he doesn't think of me in that way... right?_

 

 

 

 

**"Mr. Fischbach?" Mark rose out of his seat and smoothed down his suit.**

**"How bad is it?" He murmured as the nurse walked up to him. She looked at him and worked her jaw, but she didn't answer for a few seconds.**

**"I-I'm really sorry sir," she stammered. "But we can't help him." Mark's chest squeezed his heart and clenched it. He clenched his jaw and blinked rapidly, digesting the news.**

**"... is he...?" He asked hoarsely.**

**"He's asking for you," the nurse replied quietly. Mark walked past the girl and headed to one of the hospital rooms. He stopped at the door and stared. In the room, an old man lay in a bed. The numerous machines he was hooked to intimidated the young man. The only sign of the patient's life was a beeping.**

**Mark swallowed and ran his hand through his short hair. Back then, his hair was kept trimmed and shaped like a shark fin, his face young and clean without stubble. With a nervous light in his eyes, the young man slowly walked in. The patient stirred, and his eyes weakly opened as he looked at Mark.**

**"Mark." The man's voice was frail, but it was also warm and familiar. Mark sniffed as he blinked back tears and smiled sadly.**

**"H-hey dad." He sat on the bedside and tried to not look at the machines. His heart already hung heavy, his throat muscles tightened and his tongue felt like sandpaper. But still, he tried to act brave.**

**"You look awful." There was a twinkle of amusement in the man's eyes, and Mark managed to chuckle.**

**"I've been waiting all night for the doctors to tell me something." He held his dad's hand and gently squeezed it. "They told me, dad," he said quietly. The man closed his eyes and exhaled tiredly.**

**"I know, son." Mark's lower lip quivered.**

**"I don't want you to go," he choked. The man smiled sadly.**

**"I know," he murmured. "But I have to. It's my time to, don't be angry with life." Mark frowned.**

**"But life is what's caused all of this pain and suffering!" He said. "If it wasn't for life being so hard, Earth wouldn't be in such bad shape, and people wouldn't be dying!"**

**"My old lungs can't handle the pollution," the man dismissed. "Besides," Mark's dad added with a weak smile. "Gotta make room for the next generation."**

**"Dad!" Mark was appalled. "Don't say things like that!" He chided. The man closed his eyes and sighed.**

**"I almost wish I could take you with me," he murmured. "Away from this god-forsaken planet, and somewhere safe and clean where I could look after you." As the sick man drew in another shaky breath, Mark gently squeezed his hand. "But you're all grown up." Mark's dad opened his eyes and looked at him again. "You're strong, so you take care of yourself, you hear? Just because I'm dying doesn't mean I won't be with you." Mark blinked rapidly, unable to hide his tears anymore, and he sniffed. "I'll be right here." He moved his hand and gently touched Mark's arm. "Right by your side." Mark whimpered.**

**"But-" he tried to say more, but his throat clenched and he choked on his words with grief.**

**His dad suddenly sat up and gripped Mark's hand, looking him square in the eye as an intense love burned in his gaze.**

**"I want you to promise me something, Mark," he said in a grave voice. "No matter what happens, no matter how twisted and corrupted the world becomes, you'll still be you... You'll still be kind; compassionate and considerate, that's what I want you to be. I know what kind of man you are, and I'm proud to be your father. But please..." He took a shaky breath. "Don't ever lose who you are." Mark looked at his dad with silence, and then he nodded.**

**"Ok dad," he stammered. His voice cracked as he realized his would be one of the last times he'd ever get to talk to his own father. With another whimper he hugged his dad, breathing in his familiar scent. "I love you," he whispered. "I'll never forget you, or what you said." His dad said nothing, he simply embraced his boy proudly with a tear running down his cheek.  
**

**"... Dad?" Mark went rigid as he felt his dad relax. He moved to look at the man, and his heart exploded in his chest when his father didn't respond. Mark's eyes were wide with horror as the flat line wailed in the air.  
**

**"D-DAD!"  
**

 

 

 

 

Mark's eyes snapped open as a clap of thunder boomed, and he sat up quickly with a small gasp and panted. He was drenched in sweat, and his heart thrashed wildly in his chest as his breast heaved with gasping breaths. The engineer eventually realized where he was and nervously shifted in his bed, unsettled.

 _It was just a dream._ Mark sighed and swiped his arm over his forehead. _At least... I wish it was._ He cringed as thunder rolled across the angry clouds outside. It was pitch black, and Mark couldn't see a damn thing. Rain was banging against the window and being driven against the ground and the house by the howling wind, and Mark shivered as he realized how cold he was.

 _The lights must be out,_ Mark realized when he got up to try and push the lamp on. The button clicked, but no lights came on. _Damnit._ He shivered and looked around as lightning flashed, and he looked at Jack before flinching when the thunder cracked so hard that Mark felt a slight tremor in the ground.

When he felt the deafening boom of thunder, Mark couldn't help but bite back a cry of fear and bound back to his bed. He frantically burrowed under the shirt and cowered, his body pale and jerking with trembles. He was still frightened from his nightmare, but he was too cold and feverish to feel ashamed.

He flinched and whimpered as thunder crashed overhead, and he pressed hard against the bottom of the box as he squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the shirt. A small thought wondered into his head, but at first his panicked mind shoved it away before the idea returned and persisted. Mark shuddered as the rain continued to fall, and he poked his head out of his covers to glance at Jack.

The giant was submerged in his covers, and he was laying on his back with his arms loosely folded over his stomach as he snored quietly. He was sound asleep, and with each strike of lightning Mark noticed that Jack wasn't a restless sleeper. _Huh, maybe he saves all his energy for when he's awake._ He cringed and gripped the shirt tightly as the thunder cackled again, and Mark thought about what Jack had said; it was true that Jack's red shirt had offered him the comfort he needed to help him sleep at night, but Mark had gotten a crazy idea.

 _This is going to most stupid and reckless thing I've ever done!_ Mark thought grimly. But he had to try. The Carar virus was still in the small man's system, and he knew that he was still weak and frail. In order to survive on this planet, Mark realized, he needed to trust someone who could help him survive. His best shot was that the person he could depend on was Jack, but just considering this idea of his was a gamble!

Thunder rumbled outside as Mark got up and crawled out of his bed. He was still sweaty, cold and clammy, but the spaceman knew he needed to calm down, one way or another. He waited until lightning struck the dark world outside, illuminating the room for Mark, and he took his chance. With the natural light, Mark sized up the distance, took a few steps back, and he broke into a run.

He ran as hard as he could before throwing himself off the edge of the nightstand, and Mark felt his stomach drop as he plummeted. His breath was wrangled out of his body as he crashed and rolled onto a soft surface, and he gasped with relief. He made it onto the bed.

The infinitesimal man laid there resting for a few seconds before he got up and started walking across the covers. The cold was already getting to him, his skin prickling uncomfortably as Mark made a conscious effort to keep his teeth from chattering. But all of his frosty discomfort melted away as he walked up to Jack's slumbering figure. The giant's body heat surprised Mark before he closed his eyes and relaxed a little, and he sighed quietly. It was so warm...

A distant rumble of thunder reminded Mark what he was doing, so he opened his eyes and kept walking. He glanced at Jack's peaceful face before he nervously gripped the giant's sleeve, and he pulled himself up and climbed onto his bicep. Jack's body heat was making Mark feel sleepy already, but he was stern to his body. _Not yet,_ he told himself, _not yet, soon, once you're safe._

As Mark carefully walked up Jack's arm, he noticed that the green haired man wasn't very muscular. Despite his size, he seemed rather scrawny. Felix had been even less muscular, but Mark imagined what he would look like if he were a giant; would he be this world's Hulk? _That'd be fucking awesome!_ It was a cool but frightening idea, so Mark decided to stop thinking and just climb.

As he walked across Jack's thorax, Mark felt the giant's stomach rise and fall under his feet as Jack inhaled and exhaled strong powerful gusts of wind. He stopped and stood still, focusing on the rhythmic motions that moved the surface beneath his very feet. It was such a strange feeling, to be so much smaller than something else, and more than just Mark's short size. Tease him all his friends wanted, but nothing could compare to this moment, right here and right now. Humankind was so used to being the biggest baddest species when all kinds of animals lived on earth. Mark could remember diagrams of tigers and polar bears that patrolled their homes fiercely, along with other beasts until things got bad. Even when the space race began, no creature was really a threat to the humans as long as you had a ray gun or at least a knife.

And then Mark crash landed on a planet full of giants, and if giants were sentient enough to be people- which they were- then perhaps that was the most scariest thing of all. _People were always so unpredictable. You could never see what anyone was ever going to do, every move just as unexpected as the last. No matter what you do, no matter what happens, maybe people are actually the bad guys. Maybe it is humankind that deserves a punishment for their gluttonous greed, for sticking their nose in places they don't belong-_

~~Y̷̛͎̗̲̝̮̺̝͔̋̑̔̑͛̔͋͟͢o̢̡̱̹̯̣̮͗̅̊͘ȕ̵̢̨͉͔̣̦͚̤̟̐͗͆̒̎͝͠ c̴̹͉̯̰̺͙̳̐̒̿̓̇̇͜a̶̢͍͍̣͚̙̭̯̞͑̇͊̃͜͡ņ̴̧̥̠͇͚̹̮̳̣̽̃̍̽͡'̶̧̻̠̈͛̉̐̄͟ͅṱ̭͚͔̬̜͙̤̬̈͂͑͋̇̊͊̚ g̢̟̺̱̺̠̞̖̊͊̎̍̂̔̋͗͟͠͝ę̸͓͙͇̳͈̝̀̿̔́͠͡ț͙̼̖̻͔̦͚̂͗̽̌͒̚͘͟ r̪̫͇̪̙̼͋̌̑͐͋͑̕̕͝ͅi̘̩͙̦͎̱̖͛̈̆̊͒̔̉̔ď̜̻̘͈̙̂̋͐̉̾̕̚̕ ọ̶̟̥͍̦͚̩̞̇͛̾͡͝f̶̙̯̮̝͖͈̤̒͋̎͆͆̉͘͢͜͡ m̶̡͔͕̰̦̀̓̓̂̈̀̓̓̚ͅe̟̰̯̬̱̬̼̖̔͌͐̏̅̏̑.̴̠̙͓̘̆̇͑̃͒͛͜͡͝~~

~~W̶̢͔̗̺̳͙̲͉̹̒̇̇̏͋͝͡ͅï̡̡̬͇̙̟̝͙̹̤̆̏͗͠t̷̨̤̠͈̹͖̣͇͊̀̀̾͒͘͢͠h̷̢̡̜͈̹͂̎̋̉͢ȫ̸̱͉͎̯̥͛̋̀͆̕͝͝u̶͚̰̪̍̾̔̄̓̔͗̕͢͟͞t̢̠͈̻̼̜̂̒̎̌͘ m̸̨̻͔͙̩̱̱̒́́̕͟͟͞e̷̡͚͉͓̼̹͒̀̀̒̓̚͘͟͝͝͡ y̷̢̘͙͍̙̼̝̞̪͐̃́̎̏̂ơ̷̢͕͖̖̻͍͋̾͆̔̌͘̚͘͢͝ͅu̡̡͖͍̼̓̎̀̌̂̈́͛͜͞ a̛̫̠̪̘̫̗̻͎͐͒̎̃̕̚͡͠ŗ̻̫͔͕̭̰͊̃͂̊̐̀̊̊͝ȇ̙͈͔̬̙̺̟͐̎͌̈̽͑̿ n̴͖̰̺͎̰͋̽̃̈́̐̂͆͜͢ͅo̘͎̳̻̯̭͕̺͈͒͒͗͗͋̚t̴̟͈͈̼̭͓̎̎͑̀̎͂͂̿̿͢h̻̯̙̖͔̫̖͔͋̆̾̀̕͟i̸̯̻͈̰͇͐͆̔̇̾̔̚̕ǹ̸̻̥̼͈͎͂͑͆̏̇̋g̫̠̹̳͖͛̊̆̈́͞͠.̧̛̙͕̝̹̰̹̬̀̿͋͐̓̉̕͝~~

 

 

Mark cleared his throat and kept walking. _I wonder what this feels like for Jack?_ He suddenly thought. _How small I must look from his perspective, so out of place in this world..._ Thunder rumbled all around him, and Mark stopped with icy claws of fear clutching him. That wasn't thunder, that was Jack's stomach! Mark shuddered as he recalled his feverish nightmares and quickened his pace, and he walked over Jack's rib-cage and climbed onto the giant's chest. The tension in his shoulders relaxed as he went over to the chest pocket.

 _I should really stop doubting him._ Mark glanced at Jack. The giant was still sound asleep, and his countenance was relaxed and at peace. _He doesn't want to hurt me. His intentions so far have been harmless. If he wanted to hurt me, he wouldn't have saved me,_ Mark told himself. _He's trying his best, but he's never done this before, it's not his fault he doesn't know how to handle me. The least I owe Jack is to give him the benefit of the doubt._ He got down on his hands and knees and crawled into the pocket. Familiarity warmed Mark as he sat up, but at the same time it felt like a completely different pocket. He was thrown off guard by the startling amounts of body heat that surrounded him, and Mark found a sigh escaping his lips as he unintentionally relaxed.

 _Jeez... it's so warm!_ But Mark wasn't complaining. That was all he wanted, to be warm and safe from the violent storm outside. As he lay down and got comfortable at the bottom of the pocket, a deep roll of thunder was drowned out by a new sound. There was a constant rhythmic thumping, and Mark tensed when he realized he was being slightly shaken by Jack's very heartbeat.

But as Mark lay there in the dark pocket, the warmth and booming beat of the giant's powerful heart pumping enveloped the tired engineer. His chest rose and fell as he let out a tired sigh and closed his eyes, finding himself strangely enough comforted by his gargantuan acquaintance's presence, and he was lulled to sleep.

 


	12. Hanging Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark spends some quality breakfast time with his gargantuan and energetic friend.

**Mark walked down the hallway with his head hanging. His hands trembled as he followed the man into a kennel room. Dogs whimpered and scratched at the metal mesh as some snarled and bristled with angry yaps.**

**"Cell C4!" The man shouted. One of the cage doors swung open with a buzz, and Mark looked up as a familiar snout poked out of the cage.**

**"Chica!" The Labrador perked her ears and looked at Mark, and with a delighted bark she bounded out of her prison and raced to the familiar man. Mark crouched down and welcomed the dog into his arms, petting her and hugging her with happy coos. Chica wagged her tail and licked her master's cheek, and Mark grinned with a giggle as he nuzzled his dog.**

**"That's the only dog, right?" The man asked crisply. Mark looked up and nodded.**

**"Y-yes sir," he stammered politely. The man jerked his head.**

**"Let's move on then." Mark took Chica's leash and clipped it on the collar, and he encouraged her to follow with gentle susurrations and a small tug on the lead. Chica trotted along happily, her tongue lolling out as she walked beside Mark.**

**"So what's the deal?" The kennel owner asked suddenly. Mark looked at the back of his head, surprised.**

**"Uh." Mark cleared his throat. "They're letting me keep my dog if I go on the next space expedition, but that's only because I don't have any past violations." He sighed. "I'm very lucky, but I have to leave Chica at my friends' place for a whole year. I'm gonna miss her." Mark rubbed Chica's ears.**

**"You're damn straight you're lucky!" The man exclaimed. "If I'd have pulled off a dumbass stunt like that boy, straight to the gutters it'd be with me!" Mark decided to not answer. He knew he was incredibly lucky to have a good dog and an amazingly charismatic woman.**

**When he made it out of the kennel with the respirators, Mark told the kennel keeper goodbye and left. Around him the steampunk world hissed and clanged as gears shifted. The smog was horrible; Mark could smell the foul air even with his respirator on.**

**"Come on Chica." Mark gently tugged on the leash. "We're gonna go visit your uncles Bob and Wade." Chica licked the inside of her breather curiously, then snuffed and shook her fur. She turned and followed Mark, and they walked off into the thick toxic air of the mechanical world.**

 

 

 

 

Mark was roused out of his sleep by his growling stomach. He slowly opened his eyes, but it was still dark. _Huh...?_ He tried to move, but his body was laying down as if he were resting in a hammock.

"Hmm..." Mark wiggled around a little and groaned. "Jack?" His stomach turned over when he was suddenly swung with inertia, and he yelped. "Jack!" He shouted. Light flooded the pocket, and Mark covered his eyes with a sleepy groan.

"There you are!" Jack exclaimed. "I was looking everywhere for you, I thought you fucking left!" Mark waited for his eyes to adjust before he lowered his arm and looked up. He was shocked to see that Jack's eyes were wide with fear, but the giant looked relieved.

"Well you said I was grounded," Mark sassed. A grin made its way onto Jack, and the giant chuckled.

"But still! You scared me." Jack sat down at the dining table before he peered at his pocket again. Mark made a choking noise as he gawked at Jack, trying to ignore how the immense giant towered over him.

" _I_ scared _you_!?"

"Well... yes!" Jack admitted, "I thought your people came and left with you, without saying goodbye..." Mark softened with sympathy.

"I wouldn't have left without saying anything," he reassured. He put his hand on Jack's chest and reassuringly patted the giant.

"You fucking better," Jack murmured, closing his eyes. Now that he knew Mark was in his pocket, he could just barely feel the tiny man's movements. His hands were just itching to reach in and pluck the engineer up, but Jack remembered last second to hold back his awe.

The giant frowned when he felt Mark's movement shift up a little, and he opened his eyes and looked down to see Mark trying to get out without asking for help.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Mark glanced up at the confused alien.

"I'm climbing out. I'm hungry!" Mark laughed, but Jack's frown carved deeper.

"That's dangerous, here, let me-"

"No, I got it," Mark quickly protested, pushing against Jack's incoming hand. He wasn't strong enough to shove any of the fingers away, but Jack got the message and let his hand drop in his lap; there, his fingers drummed nervously against his leg as he watched Mark nervously. The small human could feel Jack breathe with every sway of his chest as his lungs sucked air in and out, but he shut it out of his mind. Mark gripped the lip of the pocket hard as he dragged himself out of the darkness and grunted. But as he tried to safely climb over the side so that he could make his way down, his grip slipped, and he yelped as he tumbled down Jack's chest and rolled down his stomach, coming to a painful halt flat on his face. Jack's hand had jerked off to the side, hovering beside his leg in case Mark fell off. Fortunately the engineer was ok.

"Ow..." Mark sat up and winced. He felt the tension in Jack's thigh relax under him as the giant sighed.

"You ok Mark?" Mark decided to be funny to release some of the stress.

"No, my pride!" He wailed, banging his fist against Jack's leg. A snort of merriment told Mark that Jack was snickering, and he grinned and got up.

"But seriously little duder." Jack poked Mark in his side, forcing a yip of surprise out of the small man as he stumbled from the force. "You could have gotten hurt."

"If you keep poking me I will!" Mark retorted, squaring his shoulders and glaring up at Jack. Jack looked at the indignant human for a few seconds before he suddenly burst out laughing. "H-huh?" Mark stared, confused as hell. "What are you laughing at, bigness!?"

"You're so goddamn adorable!" Jack giggled. Mark gave the giant a strange look.

"I'm not- I'm not cute!" Mark exclaimed, flustered. "I'm a grown man, and I'm very intimidating!" This only made Jack laugh so hard that he doubled over in his seat.

"Oh my god stop!" He gasped between laughs. Mark reached up and grabbed Jack's sleeve before the giant sat up and wiped his tears of joy away. "Oh you're so fucking- huh? Where'd ya go?" Jack looked around, confused. How could such a small guy move so fast!? Small footsteps suddenly traversed his shoulder, and a small deep laugh rang in the giant's ear. "You're a fucking goober," Jack muttered, smiling. Mark grinned and poked the green headed alien's ear lobe.

"Says the guy who's got grass growing out of his head!" He teased. Jack growled and rolled his shoulder to mess with the spaceman, only to yelp and seize up when Mark ended up grabbing his spacer.

"Mahrk!" He exclaimed.

"Hey, don't blame me!" Mark yelped. "I'm just hanging around!" Jack snorted and reached behind his head.

"Come here ya fucking lunatic..." Mark let go and slipped into Jack's hand, and his panic faded as he relaxed in the giant's hand. The world around him moved at a dizzying speed, and the engineer smiled when he was face to face with the giant's familiar bright blue eyes. "What am I gonna do with you?" Jack chuckled and shook his head. Mark giggled and shrugged.

"I don't know." Jack chuckled warmly and closed his eyes as he bit back a yawn.

"Yer hopeless." Mark laughed.

"Why thank you good sir!" He said, but he spoke in his best attempt of Jack's accent; he failed miserably. Jack's eyes flew open as he looked at Mark with surprise.

"Did you just-" Then his eyes narrowed playfully. "Are you making fun of my accent?" He asked. Mark smiled and pretended to try to run away, but his waist was pinched as he was pulled back onto Jack's palm with a yelp. "Come here ya!" Mark burst out squealing with laughter when Jack put him down on his back and started tickling his stomach.

"NO!" Mark yelled. His body jerked as he tried to curl up and hide his sensitive stomach, but Jack only had to tickle his side to make the man-child yelp and flip over. Tears of laughter streamed down Mark's cheeks as he banged his fists against the giant's hand and flailed his kicking legs against the large fingers. His laughter grew breathless, and he thought he was going to die of laughter when Jack finally rolled Mark over on his stomach and gently pinned him down with his finger. Mark twitched with gasping giggles as he panted for breath, his eyes closed and his dimples hurting.

"I win," Jack chuckled. Mark grunted and waved his hand, but he still smiled.

"My abs hurt," he complained between wheezes.

"You're welcome!" Jack sang. When the giant lifted his finger, Mark rolled over and sighed. He was sweating from how hard he had laughed, which surprised Mark but he welcomed it. It had been a long time since he had laughed so much, and he was glad to embrace his inner child.

As he caught his breath, the engineer's poor stomach complained again.

"Aww, are you hungry?" Mark opened one eye.

"Yeah!" He yelled. Jack smiled and got up.

"All right, all right, no need to shout." The irony of that sentence made Mark burst into another wave of laughter as Jack carried him into the kitchen. "What do you want? We have leftover pizza," he suggested.

"Mmm..." Mark's mouth watered at the thought of pizza, and he nodded hungrily. "Yes please!" He agreed.

"All righty roo." Jack put Mark on the counter before he got the leftovers out and heated them up. Mark sat down and yawned as he combed his fingers through his hair, trying to organize the mop of floof on his head while breakfast was prepared. A delicious smell wafted from the microwave, and Mark watched as Jack took out a slice of pizza. _Yum!_

"Here we fucking go." Jack carried the pizza to the table, and then walked back to Mark as the engineer got up and waited eagerly. "We're in business!" Jack exclaimed as he put his hand on the counter. Without hesitation Mark ran and climbed on Jack's hand, surprising them both before Jack smiled and took his little buddy to the dining table. "Here." Mark climbed off and watched Jack cut off the tip of the pizza, and his eyes were wide with gratitude as he was handed his share.

"Thanks." He took a greasy bite, and the cheese oozed in his mouth with such a fantastic taste. "I can taste the cholesterol!" He yelled, muffled by his mouthful. Jack giggled and took a big bite out of his pizza slice.

"Can you now?" Mark smiled and happily ate, and as he did he thought about how well he was doing on this planet. There was no sign of rescue yet, but it had only been a few days anyway. Mark was safe with a roof over his head, warm food in his stomach and even a friend.

Mark paused his chewing and shot a glance at Jack. _Friend?_ He wondered, surprised. But the more he thought about, the more he realized how fit it seemed. Sure, they only knew each other for hardly a day, but Mark realized that he was starting to trust Jack. He was a good guy, nice and funny, and a kind soul, but his actions were still a little wild, not to mention he could be a bit too childish for Mark's comfort... Yes, he was thinking about the VR game, but maybe that was only for show?

 _What if Jack only did all those things because it was being recorded?_ Mark suddenly thought. _He doesn't act that naïve with me, so maybe that was all because it was just a game._ Even though this made logical sense, Mark's heart still gave a little squeeze when he thought about the cold delight on Jack's face as the giant smashed all of those virtual buildings and threw toy cars and killed fake people. _I'm not a fake person,_ Mark told himself. _And Jack knows that._

Mark was just finishing up when a click grabbed his attention, and he looked to see Jack on what looked like a high tech phone. And he was smirking.

"... Um..." Jack looked up from the screen with a stupid grin on his face, and Mark realized what happened. "Did you just take a picture of me!?" He exclaimed. Jack let out a devious chuckle.

"Maybe," he said with a sly tone. He showed the engineer the screen, and Mark blinked. He looked so infinitesimal... He got up and walked up to the phone, and he tilted his head curiously.

"Am I really that tiny?" Mark murmured. His heart clenched in his chest as he saw the proportions from Jack's eyes: He was so small in the giants' world!

"Yeah." Jack took the phone and turned it back off. The screen shrank and left the phone as nothing but a small rectangular piece of plastic in the giant's hand. "Don't worry, I won't post it on the EyeNet," Jack chuckled. Mark's heart skipped a beat.

"EyeNet?" He echoed.

"Yeah. That's where people like me post our content, so that way everyone can see it," Jack explained. Mark's eyes widened.

"You mean the Internet!?" He gasped. Jack frowned.

"Is that what your people call it?" Mark thought about this and shook his head.

"No... Maybe they're really similar, but just not the same thing." Mark's hopes deflated. He sighed and slumped his shoulders. He had hoped that this could somehow allow him to communicate with his people and go home. Jack frowned when he saw how down Mark was at this news. He put his phone down, and after a few seconds of debate he decided to attempt comforting the human.

"I'm sure your people will find you soon enough." He reached behind Mark and rubbed his back. Mark sighed and sat down, but to the giant's relief he didn't protest about being touched. He gently mussed the tiny man's floofy hair. "Besides, I'll take care of you," Jack continued. "It's not like there's an expiration date on your stay, you're welcome to stay as long as you need to." Mark blinked gratefully up at his gargantuan friend.

"Thanks Jack," he sighed. Jack smiled and got up.

"Come on." He put his hand on the table. "I gotta post some pre-recorded videos, and I wanna see what's on the news today." He watched Mark climb on his hand and added, "I've got a whole day planned!"

 


	13. Dwimmer-crafty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Jack's excitedly planned schedule, he and Mark follow along with his plans. But things don't go quite according to plan...

Mark was watching the news on the couch when Jack came out of his recording room. "This week's Crowl Fighting is promised to be the excitement of the year," the tv reporter said. "With over thirty total contestants many will gather and place their bets on which animal they think is going to win. Last year's champion was Robin's very own Rakovad, and as leader of the Gladraîthé he has defended his title well. Will he win again, or will there be a new reigning champion. And now, for the weather. Jim?" Jack scowled and turned the tv off.

"Stupid gambling," he muttered. Mark turned to look up at Jack.

"What's Crowl Fighting?" He asked. Jack sighed and pushed his wavy hair out of his eyes.

"It's a dumb gambling thing that happens once every year. People bet on animals that challengers either bring or the Gladraîthé throw in." Mark frowned.

"You don't sound like a fan," he remarked. Jack snorted.

"Why the hell would I be? They make poor animals fight to the death, and for fun!" Mark blanched and shuddered.

"That's horrible!"

"Exactly," Jack agreed. "But you're not going anywhere near it, don't worry." Mark relaxed as the giant sat down next to him. His weight made the cushion under Mark sag, and he had to lean against Jack's leg to not fall over.

"So what all do you have planned first for today?" Mark asked. Jack smiled widely.

"Well it might sound stupid to you, but... have you ever heard of Hide and Seek?" He asked. Mark's eyes widened.

"Hide and Seek?" He echoed. Then he nodded. "Well, I mean yeah of course I have, but... what about it?" Jack looked very energetic as he explained.

"Simple! I thought it'd be a good way to take your mind off things." Mark frowned, and then he realized  what Jack was saying.

"Ohhh." Mark smiled nervously. "But- hang on, how would that work though? If you don't know where I am, you could step on me, and I can't really run fast enough to hide all that quickly."

"Well we could make some rules of our own!" Jack bounced in his seat, accidentally making Mark fall over with a yelp. "Sorry. But for starters, no hiding on the floor," Jack added as he helped Mark back up on his feet.

"All right," Mark mumbled. He held on to Jack's finger and let the giant carry him onto his thigh. "I'll need some time to hide too, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes?"

"Sounds good," Jack agreed. He mussed the engineer's hair as he continued, "I can wait in my room for you to go and hide, and then after twenty minutes start looking! Hmm, or maybe half an hour, you'd have to do a lot of climbing to get somewhere like on the counter or the couch..."

"And since there's a lot of places I could hide, maybe there should be some sort of timer," Mark added. "If I can stay hidden for maybe forty or something minutes, then I win, but if you catch me you win."

"Yeah!" Jack nodded and rubbed his hands together. "Ooh this is gonna be real fucking fun!" Mark chuckled.

"Just don't step on me," he warned.

"I won't." Jack lowered Mark to the floor. "I'll wait for ya then." He got up and went into his room, closing the door so Mark could hide. While he waited in there, he glanced at Mark's bed and decided to add to it. The giant went into his closet and brought out a scarf so he could wrap it around the box and insulate it better. _Oh yeah!_ Jack suddenly remembered Mark's things. _I never gave those back, whoops._ He dug through the drawers and put all of Mark's items beside his lamp, but then he picked up the gun-looking thing and looked at it curiously.

"... the fuck is this thing?" He muttered to himself.

 

 

 

 

Mark finally heard the door open as Jack called out, "All right ready or not here I come!" and he smiled. _This is gonna be good._ He wriggled deeper under the covers and watched as Jack walked past the room he was hiding in and went straight into the kitchen.

"Hmm." Jack looked around the living room and stroked his goatee. "I wonder where the foolish human has gone," he rumbled playfully. Mark smiled and stopped himself from giggling as Jack explored the living room. He listened as couch cushions were taken apart and other random objects were moved and pushed aside.

Jack carried on into the kitchen. He looked through the cabinets and pantry, checked behind an exotic flower's pot and even glanced under the table, but still no Mark.

"Where aarre you?" Jack called out in a singsong voice. "I'm gonna get ya Mark!" _Doubt it, not today Jack!_ Mark peeked out from behind the pillow he was hiding under and decided to crawl into the pillow case. He wiggled his way as deep in as possible, and then he lay in wait.

Twenty minutes ticked by, and Mark was starting to get uncomfortable. The pillow was cold against his small body and his muscles were starting to ache from not budging. But on the bright side, Jack hadn't sound him yet, which made Mark proud. _At least if I ever do run into an unfriendly giant, this is good practice._ The more Mark lied in wait, the sooner he realized that was Jack's purpose. _Ohhh..._ Mark smiled and closed his eyes. _Good move Jack, I'll give you a point for that. Clever thinking you sly Irish bastard- even though you're not Irish, but whatever your accent or ancestry is, I don't fucking know..._

Mark opened his eyes when he heard Jack finally walk into the spare room. He listened as the giant walked straight to the spaceship and peered inside, and he heard the metal creak and groan as Jack carefully moved it around to look.

"You better not be hiding in your fucking spaceship Mark!" Jack suddenly called out. "I can't look in it very well." Mark grinned; he knew the spaceship was too obvious. He was glad he went with the pillow case. _I'm gonna win!_ Mark thought proudly as Jack looked under the bed. A tickling sensation pricked his back, but he ignored it as he listened to Jack rustle against the carpet looking for him.

"Ow!" Mark suddenly yelped when something sharp ripped his sleeve and pierced his arm. Mark flipped over on his back and was horrified to see a monstrous creature that looked like a mutated spider with armor. _Where the hell did that come from!?_ He immediately screamed and pushed away. "JACK!" The creature growled and pulled Mark away from the entrance of the pillow and dragged him deeper in with its front legs. Mark thrashed and kept yelling for Jack as the spider-thing's middle legs brought out a sticky string and started wrapping it around Mark's legs. _Are you fucking kidding me!?_ Mark kept trying to kick at the spider, but it managed to tie his feet together. Mark started feeling dizzy, and he realized with horror that the spider had bit him and it was doing something not good to him. _Ahh shit!_

"Mark!?" Relief flooded Mark when Jack finally grabbed the pillow and spotted him. His blue eyes narrowed and his hand quickly dived into the pillow case. "Fuck, hang on!" He pulled Mark out and flicked the spider away, but to the engineer's dismay it didn't splat against the wall. It sounded like metal when it bounced off and fell to the floor, and it flipped over on its legs and chattered angrily. 

"Go on, shoo!" Jack roared. "Get out of here you motherfucker!" The spider quickly scampered under the bed, and Jack growled a string of curses under his breath and looked down at Mark. The cold fury left his ice blue eyes, and he morphed from anger to concern. "Did it bite you?" He murmured. Mark groaned and nodded. He was starting to feel numb, and his vision was getting blurry. "Ahh fuck." Jack sat down on the bed. "Stupid Weablers," he growled. "I thought I got rid of them all." Mark closed his eyes and moaned.

"I-I can't... f-feel my..." he mumbled. Jack sighed and cupped his hands against his chest.

"You'll be fine in a few hours. It's not poisonous, but it's bite can knock out something your size for a little while," he reassured. "You'll be groggy for a little while though." Mark mumbled under his breath. He couldn't move his legs or arms now.

"I... I won, right?" He asked with a weak smile. Jack chuckled and gently mussed the astronaut's hair.

"Of course you won ya goober." Mark smiled and closed his eyes again. He couldn't feel Jack pulling the sticky webbing off his feet, but he was unusually aware of how loud the blood in his head roared.

"I'm... sleepy," he murmured drowsily. Jack sighed and hugged Mark to his chest. Mark could hear how fast and loud the giant's heart thundered in his chest.

"Go on, it's just a little nap," he suggested. "I'll put you in my pocket if you'd like."

"Mmhmm." Mark hummed in agreement and felt Jack move him. Fabric covered his entire body, and the engineer felt Jack gently press him in the bottom of the pocket.

"How's that?" Jack asked, but Mark had already started drowsing. _He's so... warm..._

Jack sighed and let his shoulders slump as Mark fell asleep. _Good god my heart is pounding!  That gave me a scare._ He looked down and glared at the bed. _Now where's that stupid Weabler?_ He crouched down and looked under, and as soon as he saw it he scowled.

"I fucking see you," he growled. He took his shoe off and reached under the bed with it. "Teach you for biting my poor little buddy..." He held his breath as he waited for the perfect moment, going closer and closer...

 ** _BAM!_** He slammed his shoe on the Weabler, and it made a satisfying squish. "Got it!" He sighed contentedly and sat on the floor, letting his heart slow down as he put his head in his hand. He exhaled loudly as his creative mind only imagined what could have happened to Mark if he hadn't been in the room, or if he hadn't found him time or the Weabler had successfully taken him...

As Jack calmed down, he felt a cold shudder of realization. _Oh god... that Weabler could just as easily have been Mark._ Jack put his and over his mouth and hunched over. His bright blue eyes were wide with horror. _If I ever got angry enough, or lost my temper, or didn't look to see where I was walking..._ All he could hear was his own breathing and the peaceful noises of the forest outside, but the air suddenly felt cold and chilly.

Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. _I better go clean up the mess I made then._ He looked up at the window and sighed again. _I'll just tell him I got rid of it... but I sure hope his people hurry up and get here before I hurt him._ It made the giant sad to think of Mark leaving, but inevitably he knew it was for the best.

Jack just hoped that the humans would come before it was too late. One single mistake, one misstep or goof and Mark could get seriously hurt, and then Jack would be doing the exact opposite of what he had vowed to do.

 


	14. Shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack takes Mark out for a grocery run and helps take the engineer's mind off of things.

**"Captain, are you sure these are the correct coordinates?" The commander's lieutenant leaned over his shoulder and peered at the dashboard. "There's nothing here."**

**"I'm sure Lawrence," the captain said gruffly. The stars glittered coldly around them like a woman's earrings; Lawrence thought of his wife as he looked out at the fleet. Earth was getting worse and worse over the course of time, and what was to stop mankind from ruining their solar system? There wasn't much time left before Earth was completely drained of resources, and then where would they live? In space? What about their women and children?**

**"Sir! Ships approaching!" Lawrence gasped and looked at the captain.**

**"Have they hailed us?" He asked.**

**"Negative, captain!" Lawrence's eyes widened. He moved to get a good look the window.**

**"Are they bogeys?" The lieutenant asked.**

**"Negative. They're not answering our-" The intergalactic ambassador suddenly stopped talking and gagged. A metallic salty smell hit Lawrence's nose, and he turned. His eyes widened and he gasped. The captain stood over the slumped body holding a dagger stained with blood. Blood trickled from the dying man's throat, and Lawrence had to fight back a wave of nausea.**

**"You killed him!" He gasped, horrified. "Why would you-how-how could you!?" Screaming ensued over the intercom from the men in the other ships. The captain smiled coldly and blinked. His eyes were no longer a human hazel, after a nictitating membrane swiped over his eyes they were revealed to be a strange glowing orange.**

**"What.." Lawrence backed away, trembling. "Wh-what are you!?" He shouted. "Who are you?" The man chuckled and used the tip of his knife to pick at his nail.**

**"My name's Bobby." He didn't seem to mind the red that stained his green shirt. "And I am one of the last of my kind. And I'm afraid," he sighed, "That I must kill you." The alien moved with astonishing speed. Lawrence gasped as the blade pierced his skin, and he looked down to see the blade sticking out of his chest. His surroundings spun as he swayed, and he collapsed on his side with a groan as Bobby turned and left him to die. Bobby walked back to the captain's chair and pushed a button.**

**"Billy?" He waited a second before a younger voice answered him.  
**

**"We did it dad," Billy answered. "We took over the fleet." Bobby smiled.**

**"I'm afraid we have much more work to do, son. There are so many humans, and they're just as smart as us." Bobby looked out the windshield and sighed. "But we have logic on our side. We will win, and we will take back what's rightfully ours." Behind him, Lawrence slowly rolled over and got up. It took every ounce of his strength to move his muscles, but he knew what he had to do. Bobby was not the man he thought he knew, but instead leader of an aggressive alien race. He needed to do something before he died.**

**He took out his knife and quietly sidled up to Bobby as the alien kept speaking. "Yes, I know, we need to follow the coordinates of the Aurora and finish off the humans there."  
**

**"But dad, what if there's too many of them? What if they survived the crash?"**

**"As far as we know, only one survived son." Bobby smiled coldly. "He is our target. He's still alive, you can see the live feed on the ship, it's been broadcasted globally. The man is a hero in the humans' eyes, and so we'll have to kill him." Lawrence closed his eyes and thought about his family. _I'm so sorry kids... I can't come home. Lily, I love you. Remember me._ He let out a battle cry and swung his knife. Bobby whirled and, stunned, he couldn't move fast enough to escape Lawrence's blade. The two stared at each other for what seemed like forever, the light fading from their eyes as they watched one another in a glance of death. Then Bobby broke away and writhed, choking as purple blood gushed from his throat.**

**"Dad? Dad!?" Lawrence watched Bobby fall to the floor as Billy started screaming. "Steve, get in there!" Lawrence closed his eyes and sighed as his adrenaline ebbed. _Please god, don't let humanity fall. Please help us against whatever these creatures are._ Agony washed over him, and Lawrence felt gravity change as he fell back. Darkness crashed over him like a black wave.  
**

 

 

 

 

Mark woke up a couple hours later feeling a little lightheaded still from the spider bite. After he got Jack's attention to let the giant know he was awake, Jack let him out of the pocket and brewed him some minty tea to help him feel better. It was good, although Mark didn't normally drink tea it made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It helped make his headache go away too, but he was still a little sleepy like Jack had predicted.

"Ahh shite." Jack was looking in the fridge and scowling. "We're running out of food." Mark looked up at Jack and yawned.

"Is that a big problem?" He mumbled. His words slurred a little, his muscles moving sluggishly.

"No." Jack closed the fridge and looked at Mark. "I can always go to town to get more, but..." He stopped and ran his hand through his hair. Mark understood; going to the store would mean Jack would either have to leave Mark alone at the cabin, or the giant would have to take him with.

"Oh." Mark shifted nervously under the napkin he had draped around his shoulders. "I uh- I'm not sure I'm comfortable being around, well, o-other giants..." He said awkwardly. Jack frowned, concern shining in his eyes.

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable leaving you here all by your lonesome," he pointed out. "You could get hurt! What if you need something but can't get it? What if you break something? I wouldn't be there to help you!" Mark whimpered. He had a point...

"But..." Mark shivered and huddled under his "blanket". "What if I get found?" He whispered. "What if they take me away?" Jack's features softened. He walked over to his little buddy and crouched down beside the table.

"I won't let anything bad happen to you," he promised. Mark peeked back out and looked into Jack's eyes. They were so blue and round with humanizing concern, they comforted him but he was still anxious. Mark gave him a small shrug.

"I-I know, but..." he shuddered. "It's just that, all those people walking around... I've only been around you and Felix, and that was frightening enough." Jack put his chin on the table.

"Tell ya what," he said, "You can just stay in my pocket the whole time, so that way nobody sees you, and if you come with me I'll buy whatever you want from the store." Mark widened his eyes.

"Really?" Jack smiled.

"Really!" Mark wiggled his shoulders, uncertain.

"Well I mean, you don't have to..." he said awkward. He couldn't help but giggle when Jack gave the engineer a silly grin as he ruffled Mark's hair.

"Please?" He asked in a small voice. _Goddamnit I can't turn that down._

"Ok fine, fine! I'll go," Mark laughed. "How the hell can I turn down that puppy face?" Jack's eyes lit up, and he laughed.

"Puppies are cute! Do you have them on your world?"

"Of course! They're adorable!" Mark smiled as he thought about Chica. _Don't worry Chica, daddy will be back soon... I hope, at least.  
_

"Ok. Um," Jack got up and ran off to his room. Mark jumped when he heard a clatter, but he snickered when the giant let out a string of curses. "I need armor!" Jack shouted from the other room. Mark was a confused little human, and he waited patiently until Jack returned in the process of putting on a black and unzipped hoodie. Mark frowned.

"Armor?" He echoed. Jack tugged on the lapels and smoothed the wrinkles out of his shirt.

"Yeah, to keep you hidden. I don't want to risk you falling out or getting seen," he explained.

"Oh." Mark  watched Jack roll his sleeves up and bustle off to go get something else. He finally got up when Jack returned and shoved a wallet in his pocket, with keys jangling in his hand.

"Ok, let's go." Jack let Mark climb onto his free hand and put him in his breast pocket. _Hey my stuff!_ Mark was delighted to be reunited with his equipment, and he put it on and left Jack to his own devices. "Gotta make sure everything's off... doors are locked..." Jack mumbled some things to himself as he made sure he was ready to leave the cabin all by its lonesome. When he was ready he got out of the house and locked the door behind him, and as he stuck his keys in his pocket and started walking, Mark was already struggling to stay awake.

 _Oh come on Mark_ , Mark scolded himself. _Stay awake, don't be such a little bitch._ He slapped his cheeks to keep awake and sat up in Jack's pocket. He nuzzled into the giant's chest and, since he couldn't do anything else, listened to his heartbeat as Jack plodded along the path.

A few minutes later a thought suddenly occurred to him, and Mark punched Jack's chest to get his attention.

"Whoa!" Jack's shoulders tightened up when he felt the small man hit him on the breastbone. He pulled his jacket up and peered into his pocket. "Ow, what was that for?" He asked. It didn't hurt, but it just felt polite to let Mark feel like he had more control over his situation.

"How come you're walking?" Mark asked. "Don't your people have cars?" Jack frowned.

"I don't know what that is, so no, but everyone on this planet walks." Mark gawked.

"What!?" He exclaimed. Jack shrugged.

"Yeah... what's a car anyway?"

"Um..." Mark was reeling. "It's a big shiny metal thing that people use to get around quicker, like a space ship but with wheels and on the ground."

"Oh!" Jack immediately felt embarrassed as the realization flooded him. "Yeah, we have toy cars and stuff, but no one uses those. I think I remember something about pollution?, I don't know, exercising too of course, but... but no, we don't use cars." Mark looked up at the pretty clear blue sky and the rich green trees that arched high overhead, and he nodded.

"That makes sense," he agreed, "It's so pretty here, so clean..." Jack had started walking again; he frowned and looked up at the sky with Mark.

"It's not like this back at your planet?" He asked. Mark sighed. _Should I tell him? How much should I say, should he know how bad it is, how much my people are suffering?_

"... no, it's not like it is here," Mark said slowly. "Back on my planet, people..." Mark shook his head and blurted, "My world is dying, the air is so thick you can see no more than fifty meters away! There's smog that's so thick and rancid you can smell it through an air mask, and it costs money to keep oxygen running in your own fucking house!" Mark covered his watering eyes and continued, stammering, "People are tested when they become adults so the government can eliminate those who they think aren't smart enough, and pets are restricted to administrative rank. Water is scarce and even though the countries are finally united, nuclear warfare has already trashed so many places like Paris and Tokyo and-and New York too! So many species of animals have gone extinct, and those still alive are so hostile because they've lost their homes too..." Jack had stopped under a tree and looked down at Mark with wide eyes. The engineer didn't noticed and continued crying.

"It's horrible there, and I know I shouldn't want to go back but it's my home," he whispered. He sobbed and leaned into Jack's chest. "All of my friends are in danger, both here and on Earth... Oh Amy I'm so sorry I dragged you into this mess... Chica, I'm so sorry daddy had to leave, I should never have left you and Bob and Wade!" Jack stood there unsure what to do. _Wow... I had... I had no idea Mark had so many problems bottled up!_ Jack swallowed and gently patted his chest.

"Let it out little buddy," he murmured awkwardly. "Just let it out... it's ok, I'm sure things will get better, you'll see..." He pressed his hand against his pocket, and Mark gratefully leaned into his chest as he continued crying. Jack sat down beside the tree and comforted his little buddy, wishing he knew how to make Mark feel better.

After a few minutes Mark fell quiet, and then he finally sniffed and nuzzled against Jack. Jack patted his chest again. "You ok?" He asked quietly. Mark sniffed again and nodded.

"Y-yeah, I'm ok," he called up at the giant. He rubbed his eyes and wiped his tears. "Thanks for putting up with me being a crybaby," he mumbled sadly. "Sorry you're stuck babysitting me."

"Crying is healthy," Jack pointed out. He smiled a little. "Besides, I'm not stuck with you, I'm glad we're friends. And I hope your planet will get better, I think maybe your species just needs to work on it a little." Jack brightened up with an idea and looked around at the surrounding forest floor. "As a matter of fact..." he leaned and picked a small seed up that had fallen off the tree and picked out of fruit by a bird. "Here, take this when you go back home." Mark's eyes widened as he took the seed from Jack's fingers.

"A tree seed?" He remarked. Jack smiled sheepishly.

"I know, it's not much, but it's the least I can do. Go home and grow it somewhere where it can thrive, then plant it outside, and the seeds it drops too. Maybe they'll help make the pollution go away- or at least, it's a step in the right direction to balance out the carbon dioxide and other nasty stuff." Mark looked at the tiny tree seed with awe. It was as big as his forearm and twice as thick, but it was surprisingly light. The thought of Earth reverting back to her true beauty made Mark tear up, and he looked up at Jack with a wide smile.

"Th-thank you!" He cried, holding the seed close. "I _will_ plant it, thank you so much!" Jack smiled and nodded.

"No problem dude." He stood up. "You ready to go shopping for some shit?" Mark smiled and lay back against Jack.

"I was born ready!"

 

 

 

 

Jack walked along the sidewalk with his hand shoved in his pocket. His second hand held his phone to his ear so he could talk to Mark without looking strange in front of other people.

"So what do you want?" Jack asked, still pretty proud of his idea. He glanced up at one of the store signs and added, "You don't mind me getting what I need first, do you?"

"Sure," Mark answered. He was pressing against Jack's chest, his own heart racing as he tried not to think about all the giants that were nearby. Was Jack tall for his kind? What if he was short and everybody else was as tall as Felix? Or maybe even taller! For a moment the engineer was tempted to peek out of the pocket and catch a glimpse of the giant world, but Jack's hoodie hung heavy over his breast pocket. Even if he could see outside, Mark was too scared to look.

"Alright I'm headed in, I'll talk with you again in a second." Jack closed his phone down and headed into the store. Cool air tickled his skin as the giant went around and got what he needed. Once he had everything, he headed to the back of the store and glanced down both sides of the aisle. Since it was lunch time, most people were at home eating already so the store luckily wasn't too crowded. Jack's stomach rumbled at the thought of the lunch, and he shook his head and moved his jacket.

"Ok, coast's clear," he whispered. "We're out of any camera's view, so pick what you want." Mark poked his head out between Jack's fingers and looked around. Behind Jack were shelves stocked with cold stuff like milk and yogurts and cheeses, and in front of him was an aisle of candy. Mark salivated when he thought about sugar.

"Candy?" He asked. Jack nodded. He was watching out for any other customers, but everybody else was up at the front of the store.

"Go ahead," Jack invited. "Pick whatever catches your eye." Mark looked up and down the dozen shelves. There was so much to choose from!

"Narrow it down for me," Mark decided. "Show me which ones are your favorites and I'll pick from those." Jack beamed and pointed a couple out. Mark looked from one price tag to another, growing more anxious by the moment.

"Those look expensive," he murmured nervously.

"Nah they're all right," Jack kept his phone up by his ear as a customer walked by, and he gave the woman a nervous smile and nodded at her. "Top of the mornin' to ya," he greeted. She gave him a weirded out look and quickly walked past. Jack scowled at her back and turned to the candy section again. "Come on then, try it, pick one out!" Jack encouraged.

"Well..." Mark wished he could read the giant's mind. What candy was the best? They all had weird names completely different from his world, but a lot of them did look a lot like Earthly candy...

"I can't decide," Mark admitted. "But I really love chocolate."

"Hmm." Jack hummed thoughtfully and crouched down. He pulled one of the candies out and held it so Mark could get a good look at it. "What about these?" Jack suggested. "They're chocolate balls with creamy caramel stuff in them."

"Mmm."Mark's mouth watered. "So many choices," he exclaimed. Jack chuckled.

"You've got that right. Oh!" Jack reached for another one. "There's some Septic Beans here too! Ooh, and some Geraldo corn, oh, and some cookies of course, and..." Jack grunted and started grabbing multiple candies. "I'll just buy them all, then you can taste them!" Mark's eyes widened.

"You don't have to!" He stammered. "Isn't that a lot of money?" Jack shrugged. His shoulder was keeping his phone pressed against his ear now as he organized the candy into a grocery bag.

"Nah don't sweat it, I'm not tight on money," he said. "Besides, it's my treat! And if you don't like them, I'll just eat them for you!" Mark laughed.

"Ok, I'll remember that next time I eat something I don't like." Jack giggled.

"Hey, I said I'd eat your candy for you, that doesn't mean I'll just suck up whatever you don't eat." After some joking around Jack paid for the groceries and headed out again. Mark expected that to be the end of the trip out of the house, but when Jack stopped and suddenly picked Mark up, he was shocked to see they were still outside.

"Jack!" Mark gasped. He immediately pressed the giant's thumb against his chest, hugging his finger and wishing for the comforting confines of the pocket. "What are you doing? I could be seen!" He whispered.

"We're at the park." Jack sounded genuinely surprised. "I thought you'd like some fresh air, you've been in the house or my pocket all day." Mark shuddered.

"But-but the giants-your people- what if-" Jack frowned and rubbed Mark's head.

"It's ok Mark, I chose a spot where no one else is." Mark looked around and realized Jack was right. Around them a few trees hid them from the other people nearby, and in the distance children could be heard laughing on the playground as dogs barked and some parents chatted. Jack was sitting on a knoll with dark green grass waving in the wind and matching the color of his hair. The grocery bags were spread out beside him, and the bag of various candies sat in his lap.

Mark sighed and stood in Jack's hand. At first he felt wobbly and off balanced, but he got used to it quickly, as long as his gargantuan friend didn't make any sudden moves. "I guess it's all right," Mark grumbled reluctantly. He hated to admit it, but the park was peaceful, and it did feel nice to get a cool breeze without the stench of smog.

Jack grinned and let Mark step onto his thigh. "Of course it is! I know what I'm doing," he chuckled and went through the bag. "Let's see... here, try these!" Jack opened a box of the chocolate caramel balls and offered one to Mark. Mark picked it up and sniffed it, and then he took a bite.

"Whoa!" Mark gasped and smiled. "That's so good!" Jack nodded and popped a handful of them in his mouth.

"Yeah! They're fucking awesome!" Mark chuckled and continued eating, and he couldn't help but shiver as he heard a hearty swallow from behind him. The rest of their time at the park went surprisingly well. Mark tried out the other candies with Jack and decided that he liked all of them. There were a couple of times when a kid would run around nearby, and Jack would quickly shift his arm to hide his little friend. Their parent would come and bring them back to the main park area, and then both friends would relax and enjoy their time again.

One instance that scared Mark was when he was trying the Septic Beans. They were like jellybeans but with all kinds of flavors, and he was gnawing on a blueberry-flavored one when a ball suddenly bounced through the trees and rolled to a sudden stop against Jack's leg.

"Oops, sorry mister!" Mark gasped when Jack shoved his small body behind his jacket. The giant smiled nervously as an eight year old ran up to him and grabbed the black and white ball.

"Careful where you aim that thing, kid," he chuckled. "You might end up hitting someone." Mark was rigid with fear as the two giants talked. He knew kids were too young to respect things smaller than them, they tended to smash bugs at that age! Mark remembered how fascinated he was with tiny creatures like bugs when he was his age, but he would always cry when someone would squish them. _Is that gonna happen to me?_ Mark wondered, terrified. _What about karma!?_

Then finally after what felt like an eternity, the kid ran back to his friends and raced off kicking the ball to his teammates. Their laughs and screeches of delight faded, and Jack dropped his smile and slowly relaxed.

"Phew... that was close." Jack looked down and moved his jacket to see Mark pressing against his waist. His countenance softened with sympathy, and he gently rubbed the tiny engineer's back. "It's ok Mark, he's gone." Mark slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Jack. He started shaking under the giant's touch.

"Are-are you sure?" He stuttered. Jack nodded, keeping his movements slow and careful as he scooped Mark up and held him against his chest.

"Yeah, it's ok." Jack looked at the groceries and murmured, "Come on, it's time we went home." Mark didn't protest. He let Jack slide him back inside the pocket, and he lay down at the bottom.

"I wish I could help you carry those home," Mark called up to Jack.

"No it's ok, I got them." Jack carried the groceries home and put them on the steps. He dug through his pocket and with a jingle took the keys out and unlocked the door. "Phew!" Jack sighed as he brought the groceries in. "I'm beat!" Jack shut the door and set the groceries down, and he fell onto the couch. Mark jerked with surprise when his whole world violently shook, but then he relaxed when he realized Jack had laid down.

"I bet!" Mark poked his head out of Jack's pocket, but the world was still dark under Jack's jacket. He crawled out and tried to find his way into the open, but each step he took made Jack giggle and twitch under his hands and knees. "What!?" Exasperated Mark glared at his surroundings.

"You're tickling me!" Jack giggled. "Stop it!" Mark bit back a retort and smirked.

"Stop what?" Playful, Mark started crawling again, and Jack yelped and squirmed. "You mean this?" Mark giggled.

"Yes!" Jack cried. But now Mark had no intention of stopping. With a few evil giggles he started running around, and he was thrown around as Jack squealed and thrashed.

"Mark no!" Jack laughed, bawling. "Stop, please!" Mark laughed and dug his hands into Jack's shirt, scratching and feeling Jack's chest heave as the giant screeched with laughter. "No!" He howled. A huge smile that went from ear to ear was staining his face, and he was red from laughing so hard. It was deafening for Mark's tiny ears, but it was definitely worth it to make Jack laugh.

"Payback!" Mark decided to stop before anything bad could happen, so he sat down and waited for Jack to calm down. The giant's stomach heaved under him as Jack fought for breath, and Mark smiled as he listened to the alien's heart thunder in his body, and the air whoosh in his huge lungs as he panted.

When Jack finally caught his breath, he lifted his head and felt around for Mark. Mark giggled when he felt Jack's hand skim over his tiny body, and Jack smiled.

"There you are," he giggled. He pressed down and gave Mark the best hug he could. Mark smiled and closed his eyes, he felt happy and warm, and most importantly safe. But even as he lay there, sandwiched in the comfort of his giant friend, he couldn't help but feel a small worry spark in the back of his mind.

Were his friends as lucky as he was? 

 


	15. The Enterprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected plans calls Jack away from the cabin, and he has to leave Mark for a few hours.

Mark and Jack were enjoying a delicious sirloin steak when Jack's phone suddenly lit up and hummed demandingly.

"Oh, hang on." Jack grabbed his phone and answered the call. "Hello?" A few seconds later Mark saw Jack's smile drop. "Yeah, I'm home right now..." Jack glanced at Mark and put his finger to his lips to stop the engineer from asking any questions. "Uh, yes sir I'm alone." He got up and left the dining room. Mark stared holes in the back of the giant's shirt. _What the hell is going on?_ Jack winced and turned, and Mark noticed he looked paler than usual.

"Now? Are you sure?" Jack stammered. Mark waved his arms to try and get Jack's attention, but the giant didn't look at him. "N-no, it's not a problem, I just didn't expect a meeting today, and so suddenly, I..." Jack shook his head and forced his voice to a lighter tone. "Oh, no! I'm honored, I am, really! I-I just- I was about to record some more videos." Jack bared his teeth nervously, gnashing them. "Ok, good, just give me thirty minutes and I'll be on my way. Yes sir, good day." Jack turned his phone off and stared at the ground.

Mark was frowning. He put his steak down and crossed his arms over his chest. "So... what was that all about?" He asked. Jack didn't answer, still looking at the floor. Or the table, Mark couldn't tell. Anywhere but him, it seemed. "Jack?" Mark pressed. With a flinch Jack seemed to snap out of a dream and looked up at Mark.

"Huh?" Mark raised his eyebrow.

"Who was that?" Jack rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh... it was the people who own EyeNet." Mark's stomach dropped when the giant continued, "They're the people who are in charge of our world." Mark blanched. His small heart began to thump in his breast as his breath quickened.

"They... they don't know about me, d-do they?" He murmured with wide eyes. Jack shook his head and walked back to his seat.

"No." He put his phone down. "They called me in for a meeting, since I'm apparently one of the most influential people on our planet. Don't know about that though." Mark's eyes were round with surprise.

"Really?" He asked, "That should be good! ... shouldn't it?" The question died on his tongue as he realized what was wrong. "Oh..." his heart sank. "I can't come with you, can I?" He asked sadly. Jack folded his arms.

"I'm afraid not," he said quietly. "As much as I'd hate to leave ya here by yourself, there is no way I'm letting you go near those people. They're nice folks, but I'd hate to think what they'd do if they found out about you." Seeing the worry written all over Mark's face, he gently added, "But don't worry, even if they did find you I wouldn't let anything happen."

Mark nodded but he didn't use his voice. Earlier he would have been fine left on his own with the cabin to explore. But now that he had to stay here, he realized how scary it was. Jack wouldn't be around to help him! What if a Weabler attacked him? What if a thief broke into the house? What if he broke something, what if an animal attacked him!?

"Mark? Hey! Planet Jackaboy to astronaut Mark-a-doof!" Mark blinked rapidly and realized Jack was waving his hand in front of the engineer. He cleared his throat and nodded.

"I'll be fine," he forced himself to say. "Just go." Jack gave Mark a reluctant look. Mark hid his worry and crossed his arms. "And don't be late for dinner!" He chided. "Markimoo gets very grumpy when he doesn't get fed." Jack managed to chuckle a little.

"All right." He reached over the table and pulled Mark into a hug. "Just be careful, ok?" He murmured. Mark poked Jack's arm.

"Of course I will!" He snorted. "You know me, careful is my middle name!" Jack rolled his eyes.

"That's what worries me," he chortled. Mark smiled a little and nuzzled into Jack's chest.

"I'm a grown man still, remember?" He reminded. "I can take care of myself. And now that I've got my stuff back, I can just use my grappling hook to move around."

"I know, I know," Jack grumbled. He let Mark go and mussed the small man's hair. "Come on, let's finish lunch and then I'll head out." After they ate lunch Jack washed the dishes, moved Mark to the couch, turned on the tv, and left a bowl of chips and a cap full of water on the coffee table.

"Ok, so the remote is right here if you want to change the channel," Jack said as he turned on the news. "And if it's too cold, I left my jacket on the couch." The giant had also changed clothes, wearing something more formal.

"Ok." Mark nodded, but Jack continued.

"And if you need anything use the home phone, it's beside the remote. I put a sticky note on it with my phone number, so call me if you need something."

"All right." Mark rolled his eyes.

"Don't turn on the oven or anything else, I have all the lights off so you can just use your flashlight, but it's not dark so-"

"Jack!" Mark yelled. Jack jumped.

"Ah, sorry!" He laughed nervously. "I'm just nervous." Mark smiled and pat the giant's hand.

"We'll both be fine," he reassured. "I'll see you in an hour or two?" Jack nodded.

"Yeah." Before he could stand up, Mark hugged Jack's finger. "Aww, Mark!" Jack giggled. He moved his hand and cuddled the engineer to his chest. Mark stuck his tongue out at his gargantuan friend.

"Oh shut up." Jack laughed and let Mark back on the couch.

"All right, see ya in a bit!" It almost felt weird for Jack as he waved goodbye at his diminutive guest and closed the door behind him. He double checked the lock to make sure Mark would be safe until he got back. Once he was reassured, Jack turned and started walking with his hands stuck in his pockets.

_I hope this won't take too long._

 

 

 

 

Jack arrived at a large clean building only three minutes late. He had to face an evil set of staircases before he finally made it into the hallway. He walked up to a glass door and pushed through.

Jack!" Four men and a woman sat around a glass table, and they immediately rose out of their seats with small but friendly smiles. "You came!" The woman who spoke, Amanda, waved Jack over. Jack looked at the man who was at the far end of the table and took his seat at the opposite end, with his associates.

"Sorry Ken, traffic was a bitch," Jack mumbled. The man nodded and cleared his throat.

"It's fine, your colleagues had me try some of their assorted snacks. The cookies were splendid!" Ken turned to the holoscreen at the head of the table and waved his hand. The screen turned on and began to hum as it projected his company building. "Anyway, so far Septic Robotics has accomplished functional AI, but further development needs to undergo in order to master it." Jack looked at the diagrams as the presentation panned screen to screen pictures of the project.

"Whoa," he murmured.

"We've also undergone several other experiments, such as creating androids to do those everyday chores." One picture showed a small tank with a bubbling green liquid.

"What is that?" A man named Ryan asked with wide eyes.

"This is one of our most successful experiments for the project." Ken pointed to a small green thing in the tank. "We have managed to create an independent and fully functioning eye. It can move on its own, fly around, and it even makes noises to communicate! It understands our words, and we're currently installing more technology. So far, it has a scanning chip and a GPS."

"Fascinating," A young man breathed. "Your company has come so far! The technology you guys have made is exemplary."

"Thanks Daniel, but that's not the best part." The screen shut off. Ken looked at his partner and nodded. The man left his corner and exited the room, returning momentarily with a cage. Jack frowned.

"What's this then?" He asked. The others looked excited; since they had been here waiting for Jack, they seemed to know something big was coming. Jack sat up as Ken put the cage on the table.

"What I have here, Mr. McLoughlin, is something worth thousands of shrilkings." Jack's eyes widened.

"Really?" He asked. "What could something possibly be worth that much hype? There hasn't been that much excitement since the Holoscreens came out, and those made the market explode." Ken smiled.

"I'm glad you asked Jack." He pushed the cage to Jack. "Feast your eyes." Jack looked, and it took a conscious effort to not jump out of his seat. It was a human!

"Wh-what is that?" Amanda stammered, her eyes wide. 

"We aren't sure yet, but its DNA is fascinating." The others peered at the small lifeform. Jack took a few seconds to steel his nerves before he looked inside. It was a small female. His baby blue eyes passed over her trembling body. She had blonde hair and dirty clothes, and judging by the dark bags under her exhausted eyes, she looked like she was about to pass out.

"Why is it in a cage?" Jack gasped. It took a lot of effort to call the small girl an "it" instead of a "she".

"It tried multiple times to attack us," Ken replied crisply. "Just yesterday it bit one of my workers, he's being tested for any diseases as we speak, but we haven't found any yet."

"Poor kid," Daniel sympathized. "I hope he didn't come into contact with anything."Jack's gut twisted with disgust. _This is so wrong!_ He thought, sickened. _Humans aren't animals, they shouldn't be caged like this! I wonder if Mark knows this girl..._

"I think this is fantastic!" The fourth man exclaimed. "They crashed on our planet from the stars in a space ship! Why is it so big but they so tiny? Where did they come from? What planet did they come from? Are they like us? There's so many questions that could be discovered!"

"Are there more?" Amanda asked Ken. Ken nodded.

"Of course! My men found a group of them in the woods near the Krystal Springs. There was even one with blue hair!"

"How strange!" Daniel remarked with a laugh. "They're funny little things aren't they? Maybe they're leprechauns, like Jack!" The joke went over Jack's head as Daniel poked the cage curiously. The girl flinched and backed away with a whimper. It tore at Jack's heart to see how scared she was.

"Yes they're strange all right. One of them was injured pretty badly though," Ken continued. Jack tensed. _Oh fuck. How badly?  
_

"What do you think Jack?" Ryan looked at the girl more closely. The small woman whimpered and backed away, pressing against the bars that separated her from Jack. Jack found that his throat was suddenly very dry; how was he suppose to answer that question!?

"Uh..." Jack looked down at the poor thing. He wanted to rip the lock off and hug the human, tell her that everything was ok, that he'd protect her, just like he promised Mark! But he knew he couldn't. It would put Mark in danger. He had to choose a neutral answer...

"I think that they are very interesting," Jack mumbled. The words were acrid as he forced them out. "We don't know anything about them, but what if they're dangerous?" He added. "There could be lots of them. Maybe they work like us, or maybe they have a hive mind. What if there are others on the way? They may be small, but I bet they're strong, stubborn, independent little creatures, and I bet they're smarter than they look."

"That is true," Ken agreed. "Anyway, here's what we found out about them so far." The holoscreen came on again, and Ken began to elaborate on some charts and diagrams that had big science words that bored Jack. He looked down at the girl and saw that she was looking up at him with wide eyes. Suddenly compelled to assure her, he glanced at his associates to make sure no one was watching him. Ken was looking at the diagrams as he talked, and the others were focused on the CEO. Quickly Jack looked back at the small woman and leaned down a little.

 _It's gonna be ok,_ he mouthed. Confusion spread over the blonde's countenance, and she stared at Jack. He glanced again before mouthing again: _Mark_. When the woman saw this unspoken word, her eyes flew wider with recognition, and she gripped the bars and shook them desperately. Jack bit his lip and gave the girl a tiny shake of his head. _Not yet_ , he mouthed. She looked at him hopefully, and then she sank to her knees, crying in relief. Jack wished he could get her out of that cage. She seemed to know Mark, maybe she missed him. Maybe she had thought he was dead even. Jack continued watching Ken again, but he moved his hand closer to the cage and let his thumb press against the sturdy mesh. 

His heart skipped a beat when he felt the tiny girl's hands touch his thick skin, and he shot a surreptitious glance down at her. She was slumped against the bars with both of her hands on his fingerpad. She was also looking up at him with hope shining in her eyes- confusion too, and tears, but mostly hope. And that hope made Jack's heart hum as a need to protect and help these tiny little guys swept over him.

 


	16. A Misunderstanding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just how much trouble could a little guy like Mark get into?

The tv was on a loud volume so Mark could hear the reporter as he worked. Over the squeaks of metal and banging of the astronaut's wrench, Mark checked the ship out as the tv reporter babbled away in the background.

"Yes Max, our people say that Septic Robotics is investigating the space ship as we speak, and that whatever these strange creatures are will be found and inspected by the professionals," she said. "This is a time of high excitement, especially with the Crowl Fighting tomorrow many are wondering who and what will show up."

"I wonder if any of those creatures will be brought in to the Crowl Fight," Max thought out loud. "It would give scientists a great view on how the tiny things can handle themselves, and just how smart are they?"

"I'm pretty stupid but my friends are smart," Mark grumbled to himself. "They're not going anywhere near you and your stupid gambling." He tossed his wrench and pulled the panel off. Mark sighed when he saw the sparks and broken wires. "Ahh shit." He pawed the wires away with gloves and looked inside. "The flux capacitor is broke. I'm gonna have to ask Jack to get me some plutonium when he gets back."

"Warning: Mild dehydration," Karen remarked. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Hey! I know you're trying to help, and I love you, but this relationship isn't gonna work if you keep butting in!" He snapped. He put the panel on and set his stuff down. "Maybe I shouldn't have fixed you so soon," he yelled as he made his way back to the living room. "That way I won't have to put up with your sass!" Karen didn't reply. Satisfied, Mark wiped the oil off his hands and climbed onto the coffee table with the help of his trusty grappling hook.

"Ahh." Mark sighed as he sat down and helped himself to some water, letting the cool liquid slide down his throat and quench his thirst. He put the cap down and took a few bites of a chip as the news rambled on.

"Thanks Jim, as you can see behind me it's..." the weather man checked his wrist. "Five thirty seven in the afternoon." He checked the wind and added with a smack of his lips, "Uh, dry.... Jim?"

"Thanks, now we're gonna let Mindy give you guys a sneak peek of the famous Crowl Arena! Mindy, you're on."

"Thanks Jim, now I am here at the stadium, and there are so many seats it's hard to imagine all of them being filled out. But I was actually told that they have already sold out!" Mark let his eyes skim the tv. Behind the reporter lady was a huge ring of bleachers, and around the dirt ring was a menacing fence with barbed wire. There was a gate in the perimeter that led into a small building, and Mark guess that was where the animals were kept.

"I'm actually here with the champion himself, Robin! Robin are you excited for tomorrow's tournament?"

"Yeah of course I am," Robin answered with a smile. "It's awesome to come here every year and battle it out with my Rakovad. He's an absolute beast, and I'm very proud of him."

"How do you feel about tomorrow then?" Mindy asked. "Are you nervous? Ready to defend your crown? Do you think you'll win again?" Robin shrugged and laughed.

"Oh well honestly I'm surprised I've lasted this long, there's some great competition out there. If someone else wins, I say congrats!"

"At least he's down to Earth," Mark thought out loud as he crunched another bite. "Or whatever this planet is called-" he suddenly stopped. He was frozen for a few seconds, then slowly cocked his head. Then he got up and ran to the tv remote, muting the holoscreen.

Silence settled over the house, but Mark seemed to be listening for something. A few seconds later he suddenly felt it again: A vibration. It was a footstep, someone was going up to the cabin!

Jack's name was on the tip of Mark's tongue, but as he turned to the door someone suddenly knocked on it. "Hello? Anybody home?" A male voice asked. Mark froze as he felt the invisible force of fear slam into his chest. _Oh no, I gotta hide!_ Mark nimbly slid to the floor and took off running as the stranger knocked again. "Hello?" The man sounded irritated.

"Come on Alex, nobody's home, let's just go in!" Another man whined. Mark ran around the corner as he heard the lock be picked. Something scrabbled against the door and barked, and his eyes widened. _Dog!?_

"I could have sworn I heard the tv on though," Alex remarked. Just as Mark ran into Jack's room, the door swung open. A dog bounded in the living room and ran around sniffing the floor as two men walked in.

"See!? The TV's on!" Alex said. The second man rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, whoever lives here isn't home right now, so let's just do a sweep for any animals and then we can go." They watched the dog sniff the table. The hound wagged its tail as its nose was flooded with an unfamiliar scent. It barked and snuffed around, then followed Mark's scent trail into the hallway.

Mark watched with fear making his body tremble as the large dog and two men walked into the room. He squeezed his eyes shut as they started going through drawers and rummaging around carelessly, wishing desperately for them to not find him.

"What's this?" Mark watched from the shadows as Alex walked over and poked at his temporary bed.

"Maybe decoration?" The second man shrugged. "I don't know, who knows what the hell this guy thinks." The dog was getting closer to Mark. Mark shrank back in the shadows, pressing against the wall as his heart pounded in his breast. _I usually love dogs, but... holy shit this is terrifying!_ The dog's muzzle took up Mark's entire vision as it sniffed the nightstand suspiciously.

"You got something boy?" Mark gasped when one of the men crouched down behind the dog and looked behind the nightstand. Their eyes met, and his eyes flew wide open in shock. "Alex!" Mark gasped again and stumbled, falling on his back. He flipped over and started running as fast as he could, managing to run under the bed just before Alex's hand could swoop down on his small body.

"What the hell!?" Alex exclaimed. "That's not any creature I've ever seen!" Mark cowered under the bed, his chest heaving as he looked at the men's shoes. _How am I gonna get out of here? I need Jack!_ Determination coursed through the engineer as he recalled their game of hide and seek. _That's it! I just need to hide until Jack gets home._ He froze when Alex knelt down and looked under the bed.

"I don't believe it!" He exclaimed. "I think we've found a new species!" Mark started shaking and took a step away. He didn't like the curiosity in the giant's eyes.

 _NOPE._ Mark turned and burst out from under the bed. He heard the men shout in surprise as they struggled to get up and follow him, but Mark was already out in the hallway.

"Get it boy! Get it!" Alex yelled. Mark felt the ground shake as the dog barked and ran after him. _Oh shit!_ He pushed himself harder, swinging his strong legs and arms as fast as he could. He ran into the spare room, the dog hot on his heels and the giants closing in from behind.

"Karen!" He shouted. "Please tell me I got some weapon online!"

"Initiating protocol 13." The ship whirled and fired a missile, hitting the giant dog square on the nose. Mark heard it yelp as it skidded to a halt and pawed at its nose, whimpering.

"Sorry doggo," he gasped as he ran under the bed. Alex dived down on his hands and knees to try to see Mark while his henchman meanwhile looked at the ship.

"Alex! Look!" He gasped. "It must be one of the aliens that crashed from the stars!" Alex glanced up.

"Really?" Then he smiled and looked under the bed again. "You'll really be exciting to watch then," he murmured fiendishly. Mark felt his legs threatening to buckle as he backed away. The giant chuckled and reached under the bed. Mark turned and tried to run, but he was swept off his feet and found himself in a crushing fist. He screamed and started thrashing, but all he could do was wiggle as he stared helplessly up at Alex.

"So small," Alex's friend exclaimed. Mark wriggled his shoulders and tried to work his arms out of the giant's fist, but the suffocating grip squeezed tighter. Mark realized with a bolt of terror that not even Jack had ever held him like this, not in a fist so tight he couldn't breathe. His gargantuan friend always held him in a loose hand, but tight enough so Mark could feel safe, but most often Jack would hold his hand flat for Mark to sit or stand in his palm. He had always held Mark with such care and gentle concern.

 _Unlike this douchebag,_ Mark thought. Anger washed over him. _I'm not an animal for you sons of bitches to manhandle! I know I'm not from this world but come on!  
_

"OW!" Alex's hand jerked as he dropped Mark. Mark fell to the floor, stunned by the impact, as Alex cradled his hand. "Son of a bitch!" He swore. "It bit me!" The other giant laughed.

"Really? I guess it's a good thing that it's feisty, that's the kind of attitude the Crowl Fight needs!" Mark's senses were unfocused. All he could hear was his pulse roaring in his ears and a ringing noise as he slowly got up off the floor. _I can't... move..._ He clenched his eyes shut and groaned. _Why are my muscles not working?_ As he weakly pushed himself up and stood, Alex's angry eyes swept over his infinitesimal body.

"Come here you little bitch!" Mark gasped as he was yanked off the floor, and his vision went blurry as Alex shook him angrily in a tight fist. "Ya piece of shit!" He roared. "Treat you to bite me!"

"Alex calm down! You'll kill it!" Alex stopped and looked at his friend. He then turned and looked at the limp human.

"Just teaching it a lesson," he grumbled. He opened his hand and held it flat, and Mark splayed on his back as he let out a weak moan. His eyes were unfocused and half closed, and he couldn't move. His strength ebbed as Alex got up and clenched him in a fist again.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he growled. Mark stirred and whined softly. His head lolled as his eyes cast mournfully at Jack's room as the two giants headed for the front door.

"J... J-Jack..." he cried quietly. His eyelids fluttered as his head fell limply, and with the last of his energy he whispered, "P-please... h-help..."

 

 

 

 

Jack's head was spinning as he ran up the stairs of his cabin. "Mark!" He exclaimed as he dug for his keys. "You won't believe what happened! I found-" Jack stopped and stared. The lock had scratches over it, and a light was on in the house. There was absolute silence, a hush falling over the woods.

"... Mark?" Jack touched the door and made to unlock it, but the door swung away under his hand with an eerie creak. Jack took a sharp breath and slowly walked into the house.

The tv was still on, but it was on mute. The chips and water were half finished, and for some reason it smelled like dog. Jack sniffed and frowned.

"Mark?" He investigated. The recording room was untouched, and all of the expensive equipment was still there. Jack walked across the living room and looked at the other hall. "Mark-" he stopped and gasped, dropping his keys. His room was torn apart! Articles of clothing were spread across the floor and his bedcovers were thrown aside. Mark's bed was upside down and on the floor, and the lamp was on the precipice of the nightstand. Jack swiftly walked in and put Mark's bed back in its rightful place, and then he righted the lamp before looking around.

"Mark?" He shouted. He was worried now. _What the hell happened here!?_ Jack looked around some more and saw with unease that the spare room was also tainted with a former presence. He looked around and headed over to the bed.

"Hello extrinsic citizen Jack." Jack jumped and muttered, "Fucking Jesus!" He looked to see that the ship was talking to him again.

"Who are you!?" He exclaimed, confused.

"A computerized AI designed to assist the captain and control starship #5928," Karen answered. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Of fucking course ye are." He crouched down and looked at the ship. "Do you know where Mark went?" He asked.

"Displaying Mark Fischbach's last video clip." Blue light shot out of the front of the ship, and Jack moved to see that the ship was projecting a holoscreen. He frowned and watched the footage. The perspective wasn't quite right...

"Hold up." Jack put his hand up. "Is this from Mark's point of view!?"

"Affirmative," Karen said crisply.

"So he has a camera on him?" Jack's eyebrows were high up, reeling from this information. "And all this time he's been recording me!?"

"The eye cam is a newly developed piece of technology that depicts from a human's perspective what the retina transmits," Karen said, "Small and portable it is commonly used by pioneers of space to record data for researchers." _I'll give him a piece of my mind when I find him._ Jack shook his head and continued watching the video.

 _Is that how my world looks in his eyes?_ He wondered. _No wonder he was so fucking scared when we first met._ The next events that unraveled, starting from fixing Karen to the beginning of the chase, Jack went rigid as he watched with wide eyes, horrified. _Someone kidnapped Mark!_

When he heard one of the men mention the Crowl Fight, he gasped in horror and put his hand over his mouth, his eyes tearing up. "Oh no," he whispered. Then his voice rose to a screech. "They're going to use him for the tournament!"

_I failed to keep my promise. I failed Mark._

 


	17. Caged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark wakes up and gets to meet two new friends, while Jack is at home devastated.

Mark shivered and opened his eyes. He was looking up at a metal ceiling and laying on a cold metal floor. _Ugh... I feel like I have a hangover._ Mark scrunched his nose up and groaned.

"Jack?" He yawned. "Jack where-" He stopped, and his heart thrashed in his chest. _Oh no._ He sat up and got up on his feet. _No, no! Where am I now?_ Mark realized he was in a cage, and his eyes widened. "No!" He gasped. He ran up to the metal mesh and gripped the bars, shaking them as hard as he could. "Help!" He shouted. "Can anyone hear me? Get me out of here!"

"It's no use you know. I've tried that already." Mark whirled around and stared. There was another person trapped in the cage with him! Mark recognized his shirt; he was aboard the Aurora. The young man had the shirt of a mechanic, like Mark, but Mark knew he was in a different division.

"You were on the Aurora too!" He gasped.

"Yeah." The man pushed his bangs out of his eyes and looked up at Mark. The engineer noticed dark bags under his eyes from exhaustion. He looked weak and skinny.

"You're not... infected are you?" Mark asked warily.

"Me? No." The man sounded confused. "The giants just don't care for their _pets_ very well." He spat the word like it was acrid. Mark shuddered as his mind flashed back to his bad dreams. _Jack would never do that to me,_ he reminded himself. _I just had to go and get myself kidnapped._ Guilt pricked his heart like a claw. _Stupid me, I wasn't strong or fast enough to escape. Then Jack is probably gonna feel guilty when he finds out, and it's all my fault._

"What's your name? I'm Mark," Mark asked.

"Nate." Mark sat down across from Nate.

"How long have you been here Nate?"

"You mean in this cage?" Nate shrugged. "I think about a week now." Mark took in their surroundings. They were in a dark place with lots of cages and crates. There was a window, but it was dark out. He could hear the sounds of other animals close by, most of them aggressive. The hairs on Mark's arms stood, and he shivered at the thought of these beasts attacking him and Nate.

"So how did you get caught?" Mark asked.

"Oh, well I was in a forest near the Aurora's crash site. I was looking around for other survivors when some giants found me." Mark's shoulders bunched.

"Did you.. by any chance see anyone else?" He asked nervously.

"I was one of the last people to jettison." Nate let his head loll against the bars. "But I saw some people leaving the ship and being pulled into this world's atmosphere." _That means my friends are here,_ Mark mused. _I hope they're ok..._ "So what about you?" Nate asked, looking at Mark again. "What bastard dragged you in?"

"Oh..." Mark sighed. "That is a very long story." Nate put his hands on his thighs and watched Mark attentively.

"I'm listening." Mark took a deep breath.

"When I crash-landed, a creature called a tarascota bit me," he began. "It's an alligator looking thing. Anyway, turns out it was infected with a virus called the Carar, and so it infected me before it died. I hid out in my ship for less than a day when..." Mark trailed. Nate wouldn't understand the next part, probably. "A giant found my ship," He admitted. "He took it, and me in the process, and brought me into his house. I snuck out of the ship and hid out for a few days in his place." Mark recalled the past week's events and smiled a little. "The virus took a hold of my body, and I almost died, but then the giant found me," he said quietly. Nate's eyes were wide.

"No fucking way dude," he exclaimed, "And you're still alive!?" Mark nodded.

"He healed me," he added. "And he's been taking care of me, treating me like a person and not an animal..." He frowned. "But when he had to go to town for something, two giants broke in and took me." He blinked back tears. "Oh man, Jack must be worried sick!" he murmured sadly. "I shouldn't have been so weak. I should have done something different and protected myself!"

"I don't think you could have done anything," Nate sympathized. "They're thirteen times bigger than us and don't know how to keep their hands to themselves." Mark nodded, looking down at the ground, and then he looked up at Nate.

"You're acting relatively calm about being allies with a giant," he pointed out. Nate sighed.

"Yeah, the guy who's been looking after me for whatever the fuck is Crowl Fighting, he's been taking care of me." Nate shrugged at Mark's wide eyes. "I was surprised too, a giant that has a heart. He's actually pretty nice and treats me like a person too, and he's really gentle with holding me. And he certainly didn't dislocate my shoulder like the guy that caught me did." Mark frowned.

"Are you ok? I can reset your shoulder," he offered. Nate shook his head.

"Nah I'm fixed all ready, Mat's got me covered."

"Mat?" Mark echoed. Nate nodded.

"Yeah." There was a light playful twinkle in his eyes. "You have your giant acquaintance, I have mine."

"Oh." Mark sighed and rubbed his eyes. "How long was I out?" He asked. Nate glanced at his LifeBit.

"About... four hours," he estimated. Mark's eyes widened.

"What!?" He gasped. "But the Crowl Fights tomorrow! We're not warriors, we're just people with wrenches! We fix things, not break them!" Nate nodded.

"I know," he agreed glumly. "But we can't get out of here. The latch is too heavy to lift, and the lock is impossible to get undone." Mark slumped.

"We have to think of a way out," he said desperately. He thought for a few seconds, and then he looked at Nate's fabricator. "... do you have any materials?" He asked, nodding at the belt. Nate glanced down and pushed some of the buttons to check.

"Yeah. I've got iron, steel, wood, and some organic stuff for an emergency picnic." Mark frowned thoughtfully.

"Is it ok if I have the iron and steel?" He asked. "My mentor never got a chance to fully equip my belt." Nate gave Mark a confused look but shrugged.

"Sure. I don't know what you could possibly use them for though." He shared the iron and steel with Mark. "Their keys are different than ours, so they're no use," he added. Mark nodded and filled his fabricator.

"Thanks Nate." A door suddenly opened, shrouding the dark room with a bright light. Mark flinched and looked to see a giant walk over to their cage with something in his hand.

"Nate!" Mark's eyes widened as the giant crouched down and whisper-shouted Nate's name.

"Hey Mat," Nate responded with a friendly tone. Mark relaxed, but then he tensed again as Mat studied him.

"Who's he?" Mat asked curiously.

"He was in my crew," Nate said, "This is my friend Mark." Mark waved nervously, and Mat smiled.

"Well a friend of Nate's is a friend of mine!" He quietly exclaimed, giving Mark a friendly grin. He unlocked the cage and glanced over his shoulder. "I managed to sneak an apple slice out of the kitchen." Nate's mouth opened into an O shape as he pulled his knife out.

"Thanks!" He said as Mat put the apple in.

"Sorry I couldn't cut it for you," Mat said sheepishly. "At least you've got a knife... you'll need it to beat whatever they pit against you." Mark looked up at Mat as Nate started cutting the apple.

"What creatures do they usually pit against each other?" He asked. Mat sat down on a nearby box as he shrugged and answered, "Usually any critter the contestants can get their hands on. The most common I've seen are tarascotae and Baguæras." _I don't know what a Baguæra is, but I almost died just fighting that tarascota._ Mark ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit that he found some serenity in.

"What's a Baguæra?" He asked. Nate jumped in to answer the question.

"Oh that's a nasty creature!" He exclaimed through a mouthful of apple. He took a few seconds to finish eating, and then he wiped some apple juice from his chin onto his sleeve. "It looks like a jaguar, but it's as strong as a lion and has a bite as hard as a wolf. It's got some huge fucking claws too!"

"Nate might have harassed one the first day he came here," laughed Mat. "It was ready to sink its teeth into him when I showed up!" Nate chuckled.

"It's a good thing I have my dorky protector around to save the day," he snorted. Mark smiled halfheartedly. As glad as he was to finally meet up with one of his crew members, who was also friends with a giant, it painfully reminded him of Jack. _Oh Jack..._ Mark looked up at the window and saw with a heavy heart that it was too cloudy to see the stars tonight. _I'm so sorry, all I've caused you is trouble._ His vision wavered as his eyes began to water, and he closed his eyes tightly. _I messed up, I messed up bad, everything is just so wrong!_ He sighed and messed with his hair again. _I'll make things right, I promise. I'll fix it by myself, and then maybe I'll be worthy enough for you and my friends' forgiveness._

 

 

 

 

Jack was curled up on the couch with tear stained cheeks and his phone pressed against his ear.

"So the creature you found- Mark- you're saying that he's actually from a world like ours, only smaller?" Felix asked. Jack sniffed and hummed a pitiful "Mmhmm." "And some people came and kidnapped him while you were in town?" Again Jack nodded.

"Mmhmm."

"Goddamn, I'm sorry Jack, but... I don't know what I can do to help," Felix said over the phone. "I mean the Crowl Fights are brutal, and people get pretty hyped about it. I never knew people would start looking in other peoples' houses for animals to use in the arena. That's not right and-"

"Mark is not an animal!" Jack cried. "He'll be slaughtered if he fights! We gotta get him out of there before it's too late!" Felix sighed.

"I know Jack, I know, but it's not your fault, ok? ... Look, how about this? Knowing you, you've probably been a crybaby ever since Mark was taken, so I want you to go and get some sleep, and I'll try to come up with a game plan." Jack tried to protest when Felix added crisply, "If we're going to break in and save Mark, you'll need your strength." Jack, for once, lost the use of his voice and whimpered.

"Will he be ok?" He whispered. His throat was clenched with fear for his tiny friend, and his heart thrashed with the same care.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. He survived a fucking ship crash, remember? He'll be ok for a little while on his own," Felix assured. "And I'm sure he misses you and blames himself just as much as you do. It was just an accident, but you'll both overcome it." Jack sighed and wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

"Ok," he said in a shaky voice. "But the Crowl Fight's tomorrow, so... think quickly, and call me as soon as you have an idea."

"Ok. Get some rest you green haired potato-man." Jack didn't have the will to smile.

"Night Felix."

 


	18. Get Out Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark takes matters into his own hands and makes a brash decision with his humble heart.

Jack had a hard time getting any sleep. The first few hours he stared at the ceiling, and then tossed and turned until he finally got up and looked out the window. He stared out at the cold stars that felt so far away, wondering how far away Mark's planet was and what it was like there. He daydreamed about how cute little kittens and puppies the size of his pinky finger's nail would be, but no amount of daydreaming could distract him from Mark. His buddy was in danger, of course Jack couldn't think of anything else!

Jack sighed and looked down at Mark's bed. He touched it desolately. It was cold, unused, and so small compared to his hand. His heart wrenched with emotion as he covered his eyes and sighed again. "God it's all my fucking fault," he whispered guiltily. "If i hadn't gone to that meeting, if-if I had just taken Mark with me, or-or hidden him before I left..." A sob in his voice made his words trail off, and his shoulders shuddered. He put his forehead on the end table and his hands on his head. "I'm so sorry Mark," he cried, "I should have protected you, I shouldn't have left you all on yer lonesome! God..." He cried in the dark silence for a few minutes, letting his sorrow flow as tears stained the dark wooden surface in small salty pools. 

When he managed to stop crying, Jack sighed and sat down on the floor. He was cold, but he did nothing about it. All it made him think about was how cold Mark probably was. Was he in pain? Was he ok? Was he hungry, scared? Did he want to go home more than ever? _Does he resent me for not being there to keep him safe, like I promised I would...? No, Mark's a kind person, he'd understand... but I don't know if I can forgive myself._ Jack put his head in his hand and sighed again. He was so worried, he was a mess. _... Felix is right,_ he reminded himself. _I need to be strong, for Mark. I have to help him, but I can't do that if I can't get my shit together._ His muscles protested but he forced himself to slowly stand. _I have to be strong. It was just an accident, but..._ Jack clicked his tongue and rubbed his eyes as he turned and walked into the kitchen. _I should have been more careful._ As he poured water in the kettle and set it on the stove, Jack clenched his jaw. _I'm gonna take better care of him. I'll never let him out of my sight, and I'll kick those bastards' asses!_

 

 

 

 

Mark woke up mid-snore when Nate elbowed him in the stomach. "Ow! Hey!" He complained. He sat up and groggily glared at Nate. "What-"

"Shh!" Mark made a muffled noise when Nate covered his mouth, and Mark tried to protest but stopped. The lights were on beyond the door, and there were raised voices.

"What are you saying, huh?" An unfamiliar giant snapped. "Ye trying to tell me what to do, kid?"

"No, no!" _That's Mat,_ Mark realized. He looked at Nate in a questioning glance, but Nate was focused on the door. "I'm just saying I don't think they're capable of fighting," Mat stammered. "I mean, have you seen them? They're so small, and look at the other animals! Those guys have claws and fangs and scales and four legs. What do those creatures have? Nothing! They're defenseless, they'll be ripped to shreds!"

"Not my business," the other giant grunted. Something slammed in the room, and Mark flinched.

"Please, I don't want to see helpless animals get killed, not like this!" Mat pleaded. "It's cold-blooded murder."

"Just stop Mat, all right!?" The giant snarled. "We've been over this before! Ever since Benjamin brought in that critter you've grown fond of calling _Nate_ -" Nate flinched and withered behind Mark when his name was spat out like venom. "-you haven't stopped pestering me about keeping it!" Mark heard the giant stomp around a bit and guessed he was walking up to Mat. "Now I'm warning ya," he growled. "One more peep out of ya, and I'll send that little bastard in first round, ye hear?" The insufferable silence told Mark that Mat was unhappy about this. The giant thundered off and slammed a door, and for a few seconds there was silence.

Then the door slowly opened, and Mat walked in with his head hanging. Nate stood and walked up to the cage bars. "You didn't have to do that," he said quietly. "You've already been risking your sorry ass for me." Mat sighed and sat down in front of the cage.

"Of course I had to," he said sadly. "You're my friend." Mark felt his chest tighten.

"We'll figure something out," he promised. "My friend Jack is gonna help me get out of here, I know he will." Mat frowned at Mark doubtfully.

"How? You're all so tiny," he murmured.

"Um, Mat." Nate cleared his throat. "Jack's a giant." Mat looked at the two humans for a few seconds before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Wait, Jack!?" He exclaimed. He leaned closer to the bars. "Green hair?" He demanded. Mark nodded with wide eyes, a little shaken from the unexpected outburst. "No way!" Mat gaped at him. "He's like, one of the most famous people on our planet! How did you meet him?" As quickly as he could Mark told his story to Mat, who listened and drank in every word. When he was done, Mark could see excitement calculating in Mat's eyes.

"Oh my god that is so cool!" He exclaimed. "I wish I could meet him." Nate smirked.

"Looks like we've got an oversized fanboy here," he remarked to Mark. Mark snickered as Mat scowled.

"Hey! I'm not freaking out I just respect him! He's so dedicated and nice to all his fans, and _everyone_ looks up to him."

"Sounds more like you've got a crush."

"Oh yeah," Mat snorted. "And I would just _love_ to get my gay yiffing on." Mark laughed.

"He is a great guy," he agreed. "But he's a pretty big goober too." Somehow Mat's excitement made Mark's spirits rise. He hoped Jack cared enough to come for him, but whether he would or wouldn't give a rat's ass, Mark was feeling closer to Nate and Mat. It felt nice to befriend more than one giant, and it was great to be with another of his kind.

"We have to find a way out of here," he said out loud.

"Oh." Nate's laughter faded. "We can't, Mat would get blamed," he sighed.

"I could unlock the door and go hang out with someone," Mat suggested.

"It's too risky!" Nate argued. "You're not putting your neck on the line just for us to get out."

"But at least you could be free." The sadness returned to cloud Mat's eyes. "You could go find your crew members and go home," he murmured. "You can go back to Morgan." From the look in Nate's foggy eyes, Mark understood. _He's going through the same thing as me... God I miss Amy._ He pat his shoulder.

"We'll find a way out," he promised. "Without getting Mat in trouble." Nate sighed.

"I hope so," he mumbled. "But I might have to fight one of the beasts before we can get out."

"The Crowl Fight takes place over three days," Mat chimed. "There's a good chance you won't have to fight tomorrow. Or rather," he added, glancing at his watch, "This morning, since it's past twelve." Mark groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"We should get some sleep," he pointed out. "Whatever happens, we need our strength." He looked up at Mat. "We may not be as strong as you guys, but since we're small that gives us an edge to hiding and dodging." Mat nodded.

"I'll stay here with you guys," he offered. Nate yawned.

"Scared of the dark?" He jested sleepily. Mat smiled.

"I just want to keep you two company." Mark was ok with that. He got settled down and lay in a corner of the cage while Nate lay down as close to the cage door as possible. Mat carefully picked the cage up and set it down on the floor so he could lay down beside it, and the giant became a dark wall of fabric that covered a whole side of the bars. The body heat emitting from the friendly giant made Mark sigh and relax a little, but in a way it made him worry about Jack again.

 _I hope he's not too worried._ Mark closed his eyes and curled up in a ball. _At the very least, if he can't risk himself and save me, I hope he just moves on and forgets about me. He'd be better off if he didn't have to worry about me, I'm so weak and dependent._

 

 

 

 

Mark was jerked awake as he heard Mat yelling. "No! You can't!" He wailed.

"Get out of my way boy! One way or another, he's going in the ring!"

"No!" Mark bolted upright to see Mat backed into a corner holding Nate to his chest. "Stay away!" He bellowed. "I won't let him die!"

"It's a fucking pest for Kripe's sake!" The giant from last night snarled. "If he dies it won't matter! It's worthless!" Mat glared and covered Nate with both of his hands, holding him against his heart.

"Not to me." The other giant rolled his eyes and muttered.

"For the love of..." He took a swing at Mat, but Mat ducked and curled up in a ball. Nate yelped as Mat protected him.

"Get away!" He cried. "Leave Nate alone!" Mark stood there, shocked. _Oh no... Nate's gonna die if he fights! He can't go in there!_ Mark looked helplessly at Mat as the giant took a kick to the shoulder.

"Come on, lay off!" The nameless giant grunted. "It's just a stupid critter, there's always more!" Mat didn't answer. Quivering, he kept Nate close, unwilling to give his friend up.

"N-no!" He whimpered. "He's more than just an animal! I won't let you take him away!" Something in Mark's mind clicked. _Nate can't go in the arena... but I can!_

"HEY!" The giants stopped and turned in the direction of the shout. Mark stood there dumbly for a few seconds, surprised that they actually heard him. Then he squared his shoulders and glared up at the mean giant. "You want a contestant? Take me!" He shouted.

"Mark, no!" Nate gasped. His head popped out between Mat's hands. He was trembling, afraid. "You can't!" He yelled. The giant walked up to the cage and looked down haughtily at Mark.

"Ok then," he grunted. "I'm done with all of this bullshit, so I'm taking one or the other."

"No!" Mat cried as the giant picked the cage up and started walking. "Christopher, please!" He begged. But his cries fell on deaf ears. Christopher walked out of the room with the cage swinging in tow. Mark gripped the metal mesh and looked at Mat and Nate, who both watched him helplessly as the door slammed shut between them.


	19. The Crowl Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Round one! Mark vs society! Who will win?

"Our other contestant is ready." Christopher put the cage down and looked at Mark. "Better give us a helluva show. It's puny but... I bet it's scrappy." Mark tried to ignore the cold smile on the giant's countenance and looked away. In front of his cage were the thick metal bars that separated the small area his cage was in from the arena. The deafening sound of so many giants speaking all at once was making Mark's ears buzz.

"Ha ha. Good luck midget," a giant behind Christopher snickered. Christopher turned and shut the door, leaving Mark alone in his prison. He stood there for a few seconds in silence before sinking to his knees.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

 

 

 

 

Jack couldn't remember falling asleep, but when he woke up it was in the strangest position. He was on the floor splayed on his stomach, his empty mug was in his partial grip, laying on its side with his fingers only slightly wrapped around the handle. Sunlight shimmered on his stretched out body, and one of his knees was uncomfortably up against his stomach, sticking his butt  in the air a little.

Jack groaned and slowly sat up. The mug rolled away a short distance as he scrunched his nose up and rubbed his forehead _. God I feel like I have a hangover! I did not sleep well..._ He yawned and fished his phone out to check the time. His eyes flew wide open.

"Nine thirty three!?" He shrieked. His fingers flew over the screen as he called Felix, and while he waited for his friend to call him back he lunged for the tv remote and turned on the holoscreen.

"Jack?"

"FELIX!" Jack yelled. "THE CROWL FIGHT STARTS AT TEN, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YE DOING!?"

"Oh, did you just wake up?" Felix yawned. He didn't sound worried at all. "Don't worry, I have a plan to get Mark out! Besides, there's no way they'd put him in on the first day. They don't ever put new species in until the second-" Jack suddenly slammed his fist on the table and screamed.

"Felix!" His voice was high pitched with stress. "I'm watching the news right now, and they're starting in less than half an hour! Why didn't you wake me!?"

"Because knowing you, you probably drank more than tea or coffee last night." Jack tested his breath and grimaced. _Oh fuck, I did drink._

"That's not the point!" He snapped. "I have a right to drink, there's alcohol in my veins!"

"I know, I know," Felix laughed. "Look, I'm heading to your place right now, it'll be just a few more minutes so hold on to your flamingo shorts, ok? I'm bringing my spare hoverboard for you."

"Fine," Jack hissed through his clenched teeth. His anger wavered when a hiccup suddenly jerked his body, and he cursed as Felix snickered.

"You're fucking adorable."

"Fight me bitch," Jack grumbled. He turned his phone off and tossed it on the couch cushion. He hiccupped again and put his feet up on the coffee table, and he rubbed his head again. _Maybe I shouldn't have put alcohol in my coffee._ He groaned and closed his eyes as the news droned on in the distance. _Now that I'm awake- more or less- this is one killer headache._ The tv sounded like a bird jabbering away like it was on caffeine.

"So Mindy, what do you think about today's Crowl Fight? Who will be our competitor's for the first round?" News reporter Max asked.

"Well Max, I'd say this match is either going to be incredibly short or a long grueling fight!" Mindy exclaimed. Excitement shined in her eyes as she continued, "With our reigning champion on one side, our other competitor is a brand new species entirely." Jack's eyes flew wide open.

"No!" He gasped. His hiccups were gone now.

"We aren't even sure what type of animal it is, but it's sure going to be interesting!" Mindy continued gleefully. "It looks like a tiny person, to be honest with you Max."

"A tiny person?" Max laughed. "Now that's newsworthy folks." Jack heard Felix pull up and flew to the door.

"Felix!" He threw the door open and ran to his friend. "Screw a plan, get us to the arena as fast as these boards can go!" Felix looked back as Jack grabbed Felix's second hoverboard.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Mark's in the first round against Robin!"

 

 

 

 

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer exclaimed. "Welcome to the first round of the annual Crowl Fights! My what a beautiful day it is..." the crowd's cheers hurt Mark's ears. Even with his ears covered, he couldn't hear himself think! "Yes, what an exciting day," the announcer laughed. "Have ye placed yer bets yet? Excellent. Now, let's get down to business!" Mark stepped back and shrank against the mesh when the bars in front of him started rising.

"In our one side, we have a new creature brought by Jackson and Alex!" Mark squinted and covered his eyes as he was forced to walk out of his cage and into the arena. _It's so... bright!_ The crowd murmured their awe as the announcer continued. "I know, I know what yer thinking folks. But this is an exclusive animal we simply had to showcase as soon as possible! It's new, exotic, and fresh from the wild! It may not look like much but we're sure it has a few of Mother Nature's tricks up its sleeves!" The crowd ooed and awed and clamored as Mark looked around. The dust was an orange brown that already stained his boots an ugly burnt orange. It was dry and looked arid, like it belonged in a desert.

 _Am I that far away from Jack's house?_ Mark wondered. The second door lifted up.

"Now our second contestant, you definitely know him, is our proudly reigning champion, Robin's Rakovad!" Mark felt faint when the monstrosity burst out of its cage. It reared its head and roared, blasting a hot belch of fire as it held its wings high and swung its tail. The crowd went crazy, and Mark tried to cover his ears again. Through the pain he barely heard the announcer. "Let the round begin!" A ring clapped the air and made Mark cripple under its loud soundwave with a grunt. The rakovad growled with anticipation and broke into a run.

 _Get up,_ Mark told himself. He slowly got off his knee and studied the approaching beast. It was the size of a small house, and it looked pretty much like a dragon. _What's a dragon's weakness?_ Mark rattled his brain for an answer as he threw his weight to the side and flung himself out of the rakovad's barreling path. The creature skidded to a halt and grumbled, turning around and fixing Mark with its beady yellow eyes. It worked its jaw and hissed, and Mark froze.

"Oh shit." He sprawled on the ground as an arc of hot flames licked the air abovehead, missing his weak body by a hair or two- too close for comfort. Mark quickly got up and looked at his fabricator. _Iron and steel!_ He realized. He smiled a little and started running, pressing some buttons. _Now I get to be my own knight in shining armor!_ He fabricated a light sword and a hard shield from the materials Nate gave him. Mark ducked another belch of flames and turned, shaking as he held his shield up to protect himself.

Mark wanted to say he was brave during this part of the story, but in truth his legs were shaking madly. _Is it selfish to wish I don't die?_ Mark wondered. He was facing the gaping maw of Death's jaws, so it was a simple question. _There was no way I was gonna let Nate get taken away from Mat, but... what about my friends? What about Amy, and Chica? I can't leave them alone!_ Mark felt his legs stop shaking _. I don't have to die._ Mark narrowed his eyes. _I won't die! It'd be selfish to let myself die now and let the others be stuck here on their own!_ He may not know how to use a sword, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

Mark turned and ran from another column of blazing fire, but he wasn't prepared for the lashing claws. He cried out with pain and rolled on the ground, the rakovad hissed and flicked its forked tongue. Mark rolled over on his back and whimpered, clutching his arm. His shield had rolled away, but his sword wasn't too far off. He crawled to the weapon and grabbed it, and finally getting to use those plus one biceps he turned and flung the weapon with a yell.

It smacked the creature right in between the scales on its shoulder, digging into the flesh. The rakovad bellowed and jumped back, flicking its tongue and glaring at Mark. _The luck of the Irish must be with me._ As Mark got up the crowd was cheering and chattering, but Mark was starting to get used to the loud throbbing in his poor tiny ears. The rakovad snapped and, now furious, lunged at Mark. Mark luckily managed to dodge, but he could feel the rush of wind the vicious animal left in it's wake as it passed by.

Mark shivered and turned around. _Ok, think Mark, what else can I use?_ His survival knife came to mind, but he knew he had to reject that idea. _Too small, the only real damage it's ever done so far is surprise Jack when I cut his finger._ He ran around the ring to avoid getting turned into barbeque and tried to think more. _My grappling hook?_ He mused. It wouldn't do much, but maybe he could use it to get away. Mark pulled the gun out and aimed it at the rakovad. He fired, and the grapple shot out and sailed for its target.

But the rakovad was ready this time. It bat the grapple away like a cat and lunged at Mark with a roar. Mark gasped and threw himself out of the way again, but a claw snagged the leg he fractured in the ship crash. The jeans ripped and pain blossomed in his leg. He howled in pain and crumpled up on the ground, covered in dust and shaking violently.

But the monster didn't stop there. It snapped its jaws with an angry snarl and pressed its talons over Mark, pinning him to the ground and digging its claws in, ripping cloth and flesh. Mark screamed as his back exploded with white hot agony, and his vision darkened for a few seconds. The rakovad growled and picked Mark up in its jaws, and the broken engineer was suddenly shaken around like a piece of prey.

The crowd suddenly clamored as a commotion rose.

"Outta my way!"

"Ow! Hey!"

"Sir get back in your seat!"

"Hey! You can't go in the arena!"

"MARK!" _Jack?_ Half conscious Mark looked up when the rakovad stopped shaking him and turned to glare at something. Mark saw Jack running into the ring, and he was shocked to see the giant tackle the rakovad. The dragon like beast snarled and dropped Mark as it twisted its neck and tried to bite Jack.

Mark lay limp on the ground, stunned and dizzy with pain. _Am I hallucinating?_ He wondered. _There's no way Jack would be here in the ring..._ His back felt wet with a warm sticky substance, and Mark realized he was bleeding. Bad.

 _Maybe I will die after all..._ His head lolled as he closed his eyes and fell unconscious. 

 


	20. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look out world! There's an angry Irishman on the run!

Before his hoverboard even had a chance to power down Jack was jumping off of it and running. "Jack!" Felix let his power down and followed his friend. "Jack wait! What about the plan?" Jack didn't answer. His heart was pounding in his breast as he sprinted through the admittance entrance. All he could think about was dreading how badly Mark might get hurt. _If I'm too late..._

"Excuse me sir!" The man in the booth yelled. "You need to pay to get in, not run through like a sodding madman."

"It's ok, I'm paying." Jack felt a flash of gratitude as he ran through the open gates. _Note to self Jack, pay Felix back after you rescue Mark._ But how was he gonna get Mark out? He was in the arena, with over a hundred pairs of eyes watching. _I'll figure something out._ Jack didn't break stride until he approached the large crowds of viewers. Annoyance flared in his chest as he scowled. _This is such a cruel sport, how can anyone like it!?_

"Excuse me!" He shouted as he pushed his way through. "Sorry! Coming through! Sorry. 'scuse me!" A few people shot him glares but most politely moved as Jack milled through the crowd. The tall barbed fence and the bleachers were in his sight, just a little bit further...

As Jack reached the closest bleacher he heard a small scream and gasped. That was Mark! Horror drilled him as he lost the last ounce of his caution and patience. _That's it!_ He pushed through a few more people to get to the fence, hollering, "Outta my way!" People yelped and gasped as he brushed by, and voices of protest raised.

"Ow! Hey!" A young man yelped.

"Get back in your seat!" A woman chided. Jack ignored them and hoisted his leg up, digging his foot in between the spaces of the fence and started scaling it.

"Hey!" Someone gasped. "You can't go in the arena!" Jack growled under his breath and dropped on the other side.

"Watch me bitch," he muttered. His anger boiled when he stood and saw Mark. His tiny friend looked lifeless in the jaws of the rakovad, and Jack saw blood dripping on the orange dirt and mixing with it. Fury hit Jack like a tsunami wave, and he roared.

"MARK!" He ran and tackled the rakovad head on. It hissed and reared its head, trying to bite him. But Jack had the upper ground. Hot rage boiled under his skin as he locked his arms around the creature's forelegs and used his legs to trap the animal against the ground. The rakovad snarled and bit at him, but Jack moved his head and avoided it. Blood roared in his ears as he strangled the rakovad, and he rolled with the rakovad away from where Mark lay unconscious.

The animal twitched and gurgled, and then it whined and went limp in surrender. Jack growled deeply and pushed the creature away, and it shrank back, bowing its head and cowering. Panting, he slowly got up and looked around.

The crowd was staring at him with utter disbelief, dead silent. But Jack's eyes searched the ground until he saw Mark. His heavy breathing grew shallow as he slowly walked over to his small friend and crouched down.

"Mark?" He whispered. He gently scooped the engineer up, ignoring the dust and blood that scraped against his skin. He cupped his tiny vulnerable friend against his stomach and sat there in silence. He was so small... so light... so fragile.

Felix pushed past another person before he finally saw what was going on. His countenance softened with sorrow, and he glanced at the people nervously. Then one by one, the crowd started shouting.

"You can't intervene! That's against the rules!"

"What the hell is this?"

"Who won?"

"Who the hell is that guy?"

"Wait, that's _Jack_!"

" _The_ Jack!?"

"Why did he stop the fight?" Two men ran into the arena and walked up to Jack.

"I'm sorry sir but you'll have to come with us," the one on the left said gruffly. Jack slowly looked up. To their alarm his eyes were burning with flames of emotion.

"No," he croaked.

"Sir..." the other man shifted nervously. "You've caused a scene, you need to be removed from the arena and be punished as the rules decree." A growl rumbled in Jack's chest, and he stood.

"No." He turned to look at the crowd. "Most of you probably know me, but my name is Jack," he shouted. "And my, er, pet, was stolen from me in order to be used in the Crowl Fight." This caused an uproar.

"What!?"

"That's ridiculous!"

"Who would steal a defenseless creature like that thing? There's no way it would have won!"

"That's bullshit!" Jack looked and saw Alex glaring through the fence. "We didn't steal it, we found it in the woods!" He yelled. Jack shook his head.

"No you didn't," he said. "And I have video proof!" Alex blanched as the crowd murmured.

"Wh-what? No you don't!" He said nervously. Jack reached into his pocket.

"Karen can you display the video please?" He pulled out a small piece of metal, but as the crowd watched a holoscreen suddenly turned on broadcasted by it. They saw the video of Mark getting kidnapped and clamored. Alex grit his teeth and backed away, then he turned and pelted off with his partner.

"Hey! Get back here you scoundrel!" The two security men ran back through the gate and chased after him. Christopher stepped out of the crowd and gestured to Jack. Jack held Mark to his chest as he exited the arena.

"I'm terribly sorry for the inconveniences Mr. McLoughlin," Christopher said. Jack nodded with a grunt and decided to let it go. Mark deserved more attention than Christopher and his stupid gambling gang. The people moved to let Jack through as he walked over to Felix, and Felix sighed.

"All right let's get out of here."

 

 

 

 

"I cannot believe you did that!" Felix finally said after they left the city. Jack grunted. "I mean, you totally fucked that rakovad up man!" Felix continued. "And then you pretty much gave those people the finger, ha!" He laughed and swooped with his hoverboard. "That was awesome, I didn't think you had the spine to do something that crazy!"

"They were hurting Mark," Jack mumbled. He was keeping his board smooth and balanced so he wouldn't drop Mark. He had his small friend cupped in both hands, holding him to his chest. Orange dust still covered his clothes and dirtied his hair, but that was the least of Jack's concerns.

"Don't worry bro." Felix jumped off his board and caught it. "I'll patch him up. He'll be just fine," he promised. Jack hummed nervously.

"I hope so," he murmured. He carefully rolled Mark over and took a look at his back. The scars the claws left were nasty, bloody and swollen. His shirt was in tatters and soaked with blood, and Jack had a feeling Mark needed a new shirt. His pants were caked with dirt too, holes ripped around the knees showing scrapes and bruises.

 _Please let him be ok_ , Jack prayed as he affectionately mussed Mark's hair. Crystals of dirt mixed with sweat stuck to Jack's skin, but he didn't care. He had to fight for his life. Jack tilted his hand and cupped Mark over his heart. _I won't let anything hurt him. Never again._ A protective rumble rose deep from within his chest.

When they finally made it to the cabin Jack hurried inside. Felix got what he needed as Jack grabbed a towel and stretched Mark out on it.

"How deep are the wounds?" Felix asked as he entered the house. 

"Deep," Jack answered crisply. He was worried, watching with anxiety squeezing his heart as Felix moved Jack aside and leaned over Mark, examining him.

"Ok, I'll see what I can do." Felix glanced at Jack. Jack sighed and nodded, understanding.

"I'll give you yer space then," he mumbled and left the room. Felix turned to Mark and sighed.

"All right little guy, let's get you put back together again."

The first hour Jack paced his room. The second hour he uploaded the last two pre-recorded videos he had left. Lunchtime found the green haired man sprawled in his bed, hanging his head over the side and staring at the ceiling. Every now and then he heard Felix mutter to himself or curse, and he could only hope Mark was doing ok. He knew Felix was a good doctor, but even the most skilled could lose patients.

It was late afternoon when Jack finally heard anything. He was in the spare room putting Karen's transmitter back in, following under her instructions. Felix walked in wiping some blood off his hands with a towel. Jack turned and stood.

"Well?" He demanded. Felix smiled.

"He's asking for you." Jack sprang past Felix and ran into the living room. Mark was laying on the coffee table, swaddled in gauze and a soft towel. His eyes were closed until Jack walked over.

"Mark?" He quietly asked. Mark opened his eyes. He looked terrible. For a few seconds his small chocolate brown eyes landed on the giant, unfocused, but then recognition sparked in them, and he weakly smiled.

"H-hey." Jack cringed. Even though the engineer was small, Jack had gotten used to the deep strong voice Mark had. To hear him speak so softly, so hoarsely...

"Hey little duder." Jack crouched down and forced a smile. Mark closed his eyes for a few seconds, looking tired.

"You look awful," he mumbled drowsily. Jack chuckled. He had a feeling Felix gave Mark some pain meds, so his tiny friend was a little delirious.

"I haven't had any coffee." He gently rubbed Mark's head with his pinky. "You on the other hand look like a champ," he added kindly. Mark groaned.

"Don't feel like it," he complained, his head lolling in exhaustion. Jack had to lean in to hear Mark talk. He was uncomfortably aware of how he towered over Mark, but Mark luckily seemed too out of it to notice.

"You just need some rest," Jack murmured. Mark moaned softly.

"But sleep is... for the weak!" Jack had to fight back a laugh.

"That's my saying actually." He mussed Mark's hair. "And you're not weak, you just need to let your body heal. You were very brave," he added quietly. Mark hummed and closed his eyes again.

"I suppose so..." he yawned and turned his head, and a few seconds later he conked out. Jack smiled and tugged the towel over Mark, straightening it out and making sure he was tucked in.

"Get some rest little buddy." He sat back on the couch and sighed. "I'll be right here."

 

 

 

 

**Two young boys giggled as they ran around in a park. "You'll never catch me!" The one in front crowed. The second child smiled.**

**"Oh yeah? You just wait!" He cut his friend off and jumped on him, dragging him to the ground. The first one yelped as they rolled in the grass, and the second one laughed. "Caught you!" He cheered. The first kid sat up and shook his head. There was grass sticking out of his short brown hair. The boy laughed and pointed at him. "You have a grass head!" He teased. The younger boy glared at him and smiled. Without saying anything he grabbed a fistful of grass and tackled the blonde, shoving it in his blonde locks.**

**"Now you do too!" He laughed. The blonde wailed and rolled away.**

**"No fair! I won!" The two boys romped in the rich green grass and got their clothes dirty, like any child would. The brunette suddenly leap to his feet and started running away again. "Hey! Get back here!" The older boy charged after him, and he let out a shriek of delight.**

**"You'll never catch me this time!" The smaller boy yelled. He ran through the playground area and climbed up a tree before his friend could catch him. The blonde boy came to a screeching halt and looked up, his arms crossed.**

**"Aww! No fair!" He whined.**

**"Jack!" A woman's call made the brunette jump and peek out from behind the bark.**

**"Yes Ma?" He asked weakly. He already knew what she was going to say.**

**"Get down from there this instant! You know I've told you before that it's dangerous up there!" Jack stuck his tongue out.**

**"But Maaaaa!" He whined.**

**"No buts!" Jack moaned and climbed back down to his friend, who was snickering at him.**

**"Dude you got wrecked," he giggled. Jack rolled his eyes and shoved the blonde.**

**"Shut up Felix." Felix laughed.**

**"Come on, you're it!" He slapped Jack on the shoulder and sped away. Jack huffed and ran after him. They continued playing tag until Jack's lungs needed a break and sat in the middle of an empty space away from the other kids.**

**"You're fast," Felix remarked. He elbowed Jack. "Too bad you have asthma." Jack took another spray from his inhaler and breathed deeply.**

**"Yeah." He nodded and shoved it back in his pocket. "It's fun though. I just wish my Ma not tell me no on tree climbing." Felix chuckled.**

**"We'll have to wait until her back is turned, then you can be a monkey!" Jack bounced with a squeak of delight.**

**"Yeah!" Felix knuckled Jack's head and mussed his hair.**

**"Brofist!" Jack yelped and pushed Felix.**

**"Bitch, get away from me!" Felix laughed.**

**"Don't let your mom hear you saying that! We'll get grounded, and then who's gonna keep an eye on you, squirt?"**

**"You taught me it," Jack giggled. "You taught me bad words."**

**"Well I gotta help you grow up silly." Felix played with the grass and ran his hands through the soft strands. "The world is big, and we gotta be bigger!" Jack beamed.**

**"I'm gonna be a big boy!" He crowed. Felix giggled.**

**"We both will be." As they talked the sky grew dark and cloudy, and then it started raining.**

**"Uh oh." Jack looked up at the sky with wide eyes and an o shaped mouth. "Oh no, Ma's gonna be so mad!" He groaned. "She just washed these!" Felix took his jacket off and covered his head.**

**"Come on, let's head back then." Jack crowded under his friend's jacket and headed back to the playground with Felix. It was already abandoned by kids who went home with their parents, and it was starting to get really foggy as the rain poured harder.**

**"Felix!" Something bright and green that stood out caught Jack's eye. He turned and saw a little neon green beetle struggling in a pooling puddle. "Felix, look!" He tugged on Felix's sleeve and got him to look.**

**"Hey, a radwing!" Jack pulled Felix closer so he could crouch down and get a better look. "Those are uncommon," Felix added. "My dad said they rarely come out from underground."**

**"But this one's drowning!" Jack reached into the puddle and scooped the bug out. The little beetle flailed its small legs until Jack nudged it upright. Jack smiled.**

**"Aww..." It was cute!  
**

**"Jack!" The boys looked up to see Jack's Ma walking toward them with an umbrella. "Come on sweetie, we gotta go!" She said.**

**"Coming!" Jack looked up at Felix with wide eyes. "I'm gonna keep it," he whispered. Felix's eyebrows quirked.**

**"Really? It's a bug, who knows what nasty stuff it's been in." Jack pouted.**

**"It's raining! It could drown." He slipped the bug in his breast pocket and stood. "I'll just keep it for a little. Please Felix, don't tell?" He begged. Felix sighed and held his hand out.**

**"Come on, let's get indoors. I'll come by after it stops raining." Jack grabbed his hand and together they ran to his mom to go home.  
**

 


	21. Serenity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark undergoes the struggle of recovery with the help of his gargantuan friend.

The first day of recovery was nothing but a jumbled blurry dream to Mark. Many times he recalled Jack's immense face peering down at him with worry and murmuring to him, but he couldn't remember anything he said. He just remembered hearing Jack's voice a lot, and Felix's too as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

The second day was when he finally woke up. His vision was hazy in the beginning, but he blinked a few times and it eventually went away. His eyes wandered as he breathed deeply and smelled food. He was in the living room, lying on what he assumed was the couch. His shirt had been removed and replaced with multiple gauze wraps. A spare roll of them lay beside an empty bowl on the coffee table, with a pair of scissors close by to downsize them to Mark's appropriate size. Mark blinked sleepily at his surroundings and yawned before he tried to sit up.

"Ahh!" He gasped and quickly lay down again. His back was throbbing with pain that was only dulled with what he guessed was medicine. He closed his eyes and moaned, trying to wish the aching agony away. _Ow..._ The surface under Mark suddenly shifted, and Mark opened his eyes to see Jack frowning down at him.

"Hey." The giant's voice was a low murmur, hushed and easy on Mark's ears. "How you feeling?" Mark groaned and closed his eyes.

"Like a rakovad chewed me up like a chew toy and decided it didn't want a piece of me," he grumbled. He felt Jack chuckle as his hair was gently mussed.

"Well that's pretty much what happened." Mark realized he was laying on Jack's chest as the giant put his hand over Mark and sat up with a grunt. "But are you dizzy? Nauseous?"

"I'm a little queasy," Mark admitted, "But it's mostly just from the pain."

"I bet you're hungry." Jack nodded at the kitchen. "I just made some soup, you want some?" Mark yawned and let his head rest on his friend's chest as he added, "You're looking a little emaciated anyway," and got up. Mark yawned again as Jack walked into the kitchen and headed for a large pot sitting on the stove. He moved Mark so the engineer was laying cradled in his hand as he reached for a spoon and dipped it into the rich broth.

"Here, have a little," Jack urged. Mark's eyes fluttered open as he looked to see the spoon hovering not too far away. He could feel the heat emanating from the hot liquid, and the smell was enticing. He tried to sit up, but he quickly stopped as he gasped in pain and gripped Jack's hoodie.

"I-I can't sit up," he whimpered. Jack frowned and put the spoon in the pot.

"Hmm..." he carried Mark back into the living room and set him down carefully on the couch. Mark's countenance twisted with pain as Jack gently nudged him so he was laying against the back and sitting up. "Easy, easy..." Jack murmured as he stepped away. "Comfy?" Mark relaxed and nodded, sighing. "Just wait there." Mark wanted to point out that he couldn't go anywhere, but Jack was gone before his groggy mind could think to say anything. He sighed again and waited for Jack to come back.

The gargantuan alien came walking back very slowly, his hand held under the spoon as he treated it like an explosive. "Here you go." He crouched down and gently blew the steam away before holding it out to Mark. "Just try to get a few sips in ya," he encouraged. Mark craned his neck and managed to slurp a little as Jack held the spoon with a steady hand. It tasted good. It needed a little more salt, but Mark didn't complain. He was fine with it just the way it was and didn't mind.

It took a few minutes before Jack got Mark to drain the whole spoonful, and he smiled and rubbed Mark's head. "See? There we go... feel better?" Mark yawned.

"You're surprisingly not a bad cook." Jack chuckled.

"I'm full of many surprises." He left Mark for only a few seconds to go put the spoon in the sink, and when he came back he saw Mark had conked out again. Smiling he crouched down and gently scooped the small lifeform up, and he sat down on the couch as he snuggled the sleeping human and held him close to his heart.

 

 

 

 

**"Ok class, now that we've finished that, open your books and turn to page 94," the teacher said. "We're continuing Stars In the Sky." Some kids groaned as they reached for their books and flipped through the pages. Jack was quiet about it, but he wasn't happy that they had to read. Again.**

**"Now, who likes space?" The teacher asked. A couple of hands shot up. The teacher smiled. "I think space is lovely, it's a very colourful place. But unfortunately," he sighed, "Space travel is not possible."**

**"My grandpa said the planet's gravity is too heavy!" A kid boasted. The teacher nodded.**

**"Your grandpa's right Mike. Now." He got up from his seat and walked around, adjusting his glasses as he looked at the book. "Who would like to read first?" A girl raised her hand. "Yes, go ahead Mindy." The girl beamed and wiggled in her seat before she began to read.**

**" _Nicholas turned to Andrew and asked, "What's going to happen now?"_ " She slowly read. Jack rolled his eyes and looked out the window. He was more interested in being outside than having to hear his classmates learn to read. " _Andrew said, "It's gonna be ok Nick. We'll get there someday, up in the stars, where no one can tell us what to do." He held his hand up and added, "Pinky promise?"_**

_**Nicholas smiled. "Pinky promise," he vowed."** _

**"Good Mindy," the teacher praised. He looked around the room for his next victim. "Jack." Jack jumped in his seat and looked at the teacher with wide eyes. "Could you read the next few paragraphs for us?" He asked. Jack nodded hesitantly and looked in the book. He cleared his throat nervously and began to read.**

**" _... "B-but Andrew," Nicholas added. "How are we gonna get up there?"_**

_**"We'll just have to shoot for the stars," Andrew said. "We're young, we'll make it there one day, and when we do we'll make a home there, maybe even take over the universe!" Excitement shined in his eyes.** _

_**"One step at a time," Nicholas laughed. Andrew's eyes bulged as he realized something.** _

**_"Nick!" He exclaimed. "What if there are other creatures out there, new things and new planets?"_ " The teacher nodded.**

**"Thank you Jack." He looked around for the next reader as Jack slumped in his seat, hot with embarrassment. "Aiden, would you give it a try?" The young boy he called out obediently read.**

**" _"If there are," Nicholas said, "Then we could be friends with them! We could eat all sorts of new things and play with the animals! I bet they'd be really cute."_**

**_"I bet there's a planet of robots!" Andrew said hopefully._ " The bell rang, dismissing class.**

**"Now remember!" The teacher called as the students packed their bags. "I want you to finish chapter five of your science fiction books tonight! We'll discuss what happens next tomorrow." Jack followed the throng of young kids through the hallway and out of the school. It was foggy again, and the sun still wasn't out.**

**"Jack!" Jack turned and smiled when a familiar blonde ran up to him.**

**"Felix!" The two fist bumped and smiled at each other with glee. "Come on!" He nudged Felix and raced off, breaking away from the other kids as Felix followed. They ran along the road and left the city; they walked through the woods and talked as they approached the familiar cabin.**

**"So how's that little bug you found?" Felix asked. "What did you name it? It started with an S."**

**"Sam." Jack was keeping himself occupied as he jumped around in the grass, playing a game in his head that all of the grassy patches were lava. Felix smiled.**

**"Has your mom found him yet?" He teased. Jack scowled at Felix and puffed his chest out.**

**"Nuh uh!" Jack jumped and landed by Felix. He turned to the blonde boy and crossed his arms. "I've been keeping Sammy safe!" He added with a defiant glint of pride in his eyes.**

**"That's good," Felix said. His blue eyes sparkled with interest. "Can I see him?" Jack narrowed his eyes.**

**"Pinky promise you won't tell?" He asked slowly. Felix held his pinky up.**

**"Promise!" He swore with round eyes. Jack complied and bounced giddily.**

**"Yay!" He grinned at Felix and started running. "Race ya!"**

 

 

 

 

Mark felt stronger the more he rested. By the end of the day he could sit up with Jack assisting just a little bit, and by the next morning Mark could actually stand under his green haired friend's close eye.

"Mark, no!" Mark groaned when Jack's hand suddenly swooped down and swept him off his feet.

"Jaaaack!" He whined. "I'm going stir crazy!"

"I'm sure ye are! But that doesn't mean you're walking yet," Jack said firmly. "You might fall or pull your stitches open!" Mark groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Yes _dad_." He knew he was starting to act like a rebellious teenager, but he couldn't help it! Jack hadn't left him alone for more than a minute; it felt like forever since Mark was outside. He appreciated Jack's concern, but he needed some air! Felix walked into the living room.

"How is he today?" He asked. Mark felt Jack prickle a little when Felix didn't directly ask Mark how he felt.

"He's right here if you wanna ask him yourself," Jack growled. _Whoa, easy does it buddy..._ He pat Jack's hand and felt the tense muscles relax around him.

"I'm doing a lot better, thanks," Mark told Felix. Felix nodded.

"That's good." He glanced at Jack, and then he added, "I overheard you two. If he's cooped up so much why don't you let him go outside?" He suggested. Jack's eyes widened.

"But it's raining!" He exclaimed.

"Less pollen for you," Felix replied crisply. "Besides, we have umbrellas, just sit on the front steps. It's not like he can walk anywhere yet." Mark grumbled, but he liked the idea of getting some fresh air- exactly what he needed.

"Please Jack?" He shoved Jack's finger and looked up at the giant with pleading eyes. "Felix is right, I'm dying in here!" Jack made a strange noise and laughed.

"All right fine! I can't deny that face," he giggled. Mark beamed.

"Yay!" He cried. Felix carried on about his way and went into the kitchen. Jack got up and took Mark into his room. Mark glanced at Felix's turned back as he was carried away.

"I get the feeling Felix doesn't wanna be buddy-buddy with me," he admitted to Jack. Jack curled his lower lip.

"I think he's just jealous you're getting all the attention," he teased, but the joke was halfhearted. Mark's frown carved deeper.

"I don't want any trouble though," he murmured. "You guys are such good friends, what has he got to be cranky about?" Jack shrugged.

"Some friendships don't last," he pointed out. "But Felix and I grew up together thick as thieves, so maybe he's used to having me all to himself." Mark smiled.

"So what, are you saying he thinks he should be jealous?" Mark shook his head. "He doesn't have to be," he said kindly, "I wouldn't want to come between the two of you."

"And the sooner he comes around and realizes that, the better." Jack helped Mark onto his bed and went into his closet.

"He can't help how he feels," Mark murmured drowsily. Jack snorted from behind the closet door.

"Oh now you're defending him?" He mused. Mark swung his legs idly off the edge and shrugged.

"I'm just saying that it's who he is, he just cares about you that much," he sympathized. Jack came out of the closet with his familiar red shirt and black ripped jeans on.

"That is true," Jack agreed. "But that doesn't mean he should be a prick about it." Mark sighed as Jack tugged his black jacket on.

"I don't know." Then he added in a small voice, "I hope he doesn't, you know... turn me in or anything." As he said the words a shiver ran down his spine, and Mark shuddered at the idea.

"He wouldn't." Jack crouched down by the bed and put his arms on the covers, looking straight at Mark with his intense crystal blue eyes. "Just give him some time," he pleaded. "He'll come around, you'll see." Mark nodded.

"I know." He sighed. "I guess I'm just stressed, I'm sorry..." Jack's brow curved upward.

"Come here." He gently pulled Mark closer and hugged him to his chest. Mark closed his eyes and relaxed with a tired sigh, closing his eyes. Jack smiled and mussed his hair.

"Come on, let's get you some fresh air." He stood up and walked to the front door as he let Mark sit on his shoulder. Mark held on to the giant's hoodie as Jack reached for an umbrella hanging from the hat stand.

"Have fun!" Felix called from the kitchen. He was sitting at the table helping himself to some leftovers.

"Thanks." Jack opened the door and leaned out to open the umbrella. A cold rush of wind splashed Mark's small body, and he gasped as he shuddered.

"Brr!" He climbed over the folds in Jack's hoodie and curled up against his neck. Jack stepped outside on the small porch and shivered.

"Brr is right," he agreed. He walked to the small stairs and sat on the edge of the porch. Rain pattered on the umbrella heavily as a squall ruffled Jack's fluffy green hair, but Mark relaxed and sighed. It was very warm in the crook he had taken refuge in.

"Now this is what I'm used to," Jack said, eyeing the foggy trees with a nostalgic look. Mark stirred and looked around.

"It's beautiful," he murmured. The forest was beginning to lose its lush green, making Mark realize that autumn was on its way. Jack chuckled.

"It's just trees and grass," he remarked. "Then again," He added softly, "It's home sweet home..." Mark hummed and closed his eyes as he snuggled Jack's warm neck. The giant's jugular throbbed behind the thick wall of pale skin, pulsing with life and pumping gallons upon gallons of blood through him. Jack's pulse was soft but rhythmic, and Mark was both comforted and daunted; it reminded him of how infinitesimal he was in this world that he didn't belong in.

"I miss home," he murmured, half to himself. Jack slumped against the patio column and tried to look at Mark, but the small human was out of eyesight.

"I'm sure your people will come soon," he said quietly. But the truth was, he didn't know. How far away was Mark's planet? How long had he been in space, and how long would it take his people to come and save him and the other survivors? Mark sighed and buried his face in Jack's neck.

"I don't know man," he mumbled. "They should be here sooner or later, but what if they can't find us? What if they don't care?" Jack frowned.

"Hey..." he reached up and covered Mark with his hand. "They'll be here," he promised. "They're your kind, of course they care! Maybe they had a few technical difficulties or something. Besides," he added, "I wouldn't mind you staying here. I'd take good care of ya." Mark didn't say anything. Jack felt him wriggle under his hand and push against his thumb. The giant moved his thumb and felt Mark poke his head out.

"Jack..." Mark looked up across Jack's jawline. "You don't... think of me as a-a pet or anything... do you?" He weakly asked. Jack's muscles went rigid.

"WHAT!?" Mark flinched and covered his ears. "What the hell gives you a dumb idea like that!?" Jack exploded. Mark winced, his ears ringing. Too late Jack remembered his little buddy's sensitive ears and lowered his voice. "Mark," he murmured, appalled. "Why would you think that? Of course not!"

"I-I just..." Mark's mind flashed back to the Crowl Fight, and he shivered. "Being kidnapped got me shaken up," he admitted. "I-I'm just a little jostled, from..." Jack slowly relaxed and sighed.

"Mark." He picked up Mark and laydown on the porch, putting the umbrella down so he could look at Mark and have a genuine conversation with the small engineer under the porch roof. "Those guys were assholes. They didn't know any better, and they shouldn't have taken you," Jack growled softly. "You're yer own person, and I know I've been a little over the top recently, but that's just because I'm worried, I care. Although..." his eyes wandered away from Mark. "I'm sorry you don't feel like you've been respected." Mark felt guilty.

"Jack..." he pat Jack's finger. "That's not what I meant," he said. "You've been so amazing, I would never have survived being here without you." Mark smiled. "And I'm glad we met. I'm glad you care, and I'm glad we're friends, because you're an amazing person, and one of the most humane guys I've ever met." Jack's wide eyes locked on Mark again. He smiled.

"Really?" He asked. Mark nodded and lay his cheek on Jack's hand.

"Really." His smile fell as he yawned again, and he noticed Jack look flustered by all of the nice things he had said.

"M-Mahrk, I-" Jack stammered, trying to find words for his gratitude.

"Don't talk, just shut up and hug me, I'm cold!" Jack laughed and lay Mark on his chest before he covered him with his hand and hugged him close. Mark smiled as the giant's rumbles of laughter shook him, and he closed his eyes.

Jack's chuckles died as Mark heard his heartbeat pick up its pace. He frowned, and as he lifted his head and tried to ask what was wrong, Jack murmured urgently, "Mark get in my pocket, someone's coming!" Mark's eyes widened as he got up and tried to see who it was, but Jack's hand was blocking him from whoever was approaching. He ran and dropped to his hands and knees as he quickly crawled into the hoodie's pocket. Jack rumbled nervously as he sat up and held the umbrella as he stood and walked out into the rain.

"Hey, excuse me!" Jack called over the gentle roar of the rain. "Do you realize yer on private property?" Mark curled up at the bottom of Jack's pocket as he waited for an answer.

"Yeah, I know." Mark's eyes flew wide open, and he gasped. He knew that voice! Mark gripped the fabric wall as he climbed up and poked his head out of Jack's pocket.

"Then what are you doing here?" Jack frowned.

"Well, I'd say that's a simple answer but in reality it's very complex given the situation-"

"Mat!" Mark cried.

 


	22. Top of the Morning to Ya!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This has been nothing but a crazy and tiring week. Poor Mark, but at least Mat and Nate are ok!

"Mat?" Jack raised his eyebrow and put his hand over his pocket, covering Mark. "Who are you?"

"Mat," Mat answered simply. "Like he said." He sighed and glanced up at the sky. "Look, can we talk inside please? I don't know how much more rain my jacket can take," he complained. Jack sighed and nodded.

"Fine, come inside." He led Mat back inside the cabin and shut the door.

"Who's that?" Felix studied Mat with wide eyes as the man took his raincoat off.

"Don't know. Mark recognized him," Jack said. "Said his name was Mat." Mark shoved Jack's hand. The giant complied and reached into his pocket. "You sir," he said, picking Mark up and looking at him at eye level. "You have some explaining to do." Mark turned to look at Mat.

"Is Nate ok?" He demanded. Mat smiled.

"He's fine. He's really worried about you." Jack put his hand up.

"Hold up, hold up. Who the fuck is Nate? And how do you know Mark?" Mark wrapped his arms around Jack's thumb, getting his attention.

"It's ok Jack," he said. "I never got a chance to tell you sooner." He launched into the story of how he befriended the giant and fellow human. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner," he apologized when he was finished. "Everything was just so chaotic." Jack's countenance softened. He sighed.

"It's ok." He let Mark climb off his hand and sit on the coffee table. Jack looked up and saw Felix washing his dish. "Felix," he called. "Can you keep an eye on Mark? I'd like to get to know Mat." Felix gave them a startled glance.

"Oh, yeah. Uh, s-sure." Mark watched Jack and Mat leave the room with round eyes. _Please let them get along,_ he prayed. His attention turned to Felix as the giant walked into the living room. Panic rose up in him as he realized this was the first time he had been alone with Felix. He frantically glanced for Jack, but the green haired giant was already gone. Mark exhaled and tried to relax as he looked up and met Felix's eyes.

"... so." Felix's chest heaved as he took a deep breath and sat on the couch. "How about I take a look at your stitches?" He suggested.

"O-ok, sure." Mark stayed still as Felix reached for him and started unwrapping his bandages. He scrunched his face up and winced a couple times until Felix pulled away with the gauze and took a look at the scars.

"Ooh boy." Felix wrinkled his nose. "They still look nasty." Mark nodded and winced when the giant brushed his finger over a tender area.

"They hurt a lot," he admitted.

"Well considering what you went through, they're healing up nicely for day three." Felix reached for the roll of gauze and scissors and started cutting. During the awkward silence Mark strained his ears hoping to overhear Jack and Mat, but their voices were almost completely muffled. _They're probably in the recording room,_ Mark thought. _I wonder what they're talking about?_

"So... how did you and Jack meet?" Mark asked awkwardly.

"We grew up together. Jack had a lot of siblings but none of them were his age. I sufficed as the same-age brother, I think." Felix didn't look away from the gauze. "Same city, same school, you know?" Mark nodded.

"Yeah, two of my best friends back on my world are like that," he said. Felix glanced at the engineer.

"How come you left your planet?" He asked. "Seems kind of stupid to go to space just to crash on another world." Mark chuckled quietly.

"That wasn't suppose to happen." He turned and looked out at the rain-stained window. "I don't know why our ship crashed, but it did," he continued. "It might have something to do with this planet's gravity, I've noticed it's heavier on this planet." Mark closed his eyes and yawned. "Then again, it is a big world." Felix narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't answer my question," he said gruffly. Mark opened his eyes and looked up at Felix.

"Oh, sorry. I'm a member of the Space Voyagers," he explained. "We've been exploring space for many years, scouring the stars for another planet like ours, one that can sustain life."

"Well why?" Felix put the scissors down and continued to dress Mark's wounds. "It'd be dumb to leave your home to look at a whole bunch of nothing," he remarked. Mark's eyes widened.

"It's not nothing!" He exclaimed. "Staying at your own planet is limiting, why not do more than just imagine all of the mysteries and discoveries that can be made with the universe being so impossibly large that your brain can't even possibly consider just how big it actually is? There could be thousands of different world out there, if not millions, that we don't know about! Space is so big and pretty, and it's so cool! And sure space is big dark and full of death, but I love every struggle, the terrible experience it may or may not be, no matter how much horror or mind-numbingly terrifying circumstances. Even with certain death on the horizon, I love space," Mark proclaimed. He stopped and realized Felix was staring at him with round eyes, and his face flushed with embarrassment. He let out a small chuckle. "Sorry, I kinda geeked out there," he laughed. To his relief, Felix chuckled.

"No it's ok bro, I think that helped me understand." He finished dressing Mark's injuries and leaned back to admire his handiwork. "I think that about _wraps_ it up." Mark giggled.

"Thanks Felix." He looked around and then asked, "Hey... do you know where my shirt is?"

"It got too torn up, you can't wear it anymore." Mark's smile fell.

"Oh..." he sighed. "Can I see it? There's a badge on it, I'd like to keep it."

"Sure." Felix got up and left the living room. As Mark was waiting for the blonde giant to return, Jack walked back into the living room with Mat, who was carrying a familiar human on his shoulder.

"Nate!" Mark grinned. "Hey!" Nate tossed him a peace sign.

"Still alive huh?" He asked.

"Well you know me." He struck a pose. "I'm too sassy and bootiful to die."

"You got one thing right; you are _very_ sassy," Jack jested.

"Hey!" Mark stuck his tongue out. "That's very rude of you sir!" Amusement sparkled in the giant's bright blue eyes as he rolled them with a smirk.

" _Someone_ has to keep your big ego in line!" He leaned down and gently prodded Mark in the stomach. "For a little pipsqueak you make a lot of noise!" He teased. Mark slapped Jack's finger and tried to push him away.

"You mean like you?" He fired back. "From what I've seen, you're short for a giant!" Jack laughed and crouched closer to Mark.

"Can you even tell who's taller from your viewpoint, shortie?" Mat was cracking up, his shoulders shaking as he laughed. Nate looked amused too, but he was holding on to Mat's jacket for dear life.

"G-guys stop, please," he yelped. "You're making my skyscraper die from laughter!"

"Sure thing." Jack flashed a grin at Mark, who rolled his eyes.

"You goober," he teased, using Jack's insult as Felix walked back in. Jack looked up at Felix.

"You changed Mark's dressing?" He nodded at the clean gauzes wrapped around Mark's chest and stomach. "How's he doing?"

"His wounds are healing nicely." The giant reached his hand toward Mark and held it open with something small and black crumpled on his fingertips. Mark gasped.

"Oh no!" He stumbled up to Felix's hand and snatched what remained of his shirt. He took no notice of Jack's hand hovering behind him in case he fell as he looked at the tattered remains. Mark didn't know what he'd expected, but Felix was right; it was shredded beyond repair. "Aww..." he whined. "I liked this thing." He turned it over and saw a familiar glint of gold. "There you are." He unfastened the clip and tugged the badge off.

"What's that for?" Jack asked. Mark looked at the badge closely and rubbed his thumb over it.

"I was wearing it when I was on the Aurora," he murmured. "It's just my title and saying my job, but it's important to me." He looked up at Jack and smiled. "Did you know that originally I didn't want to come on the Aurora?" He said quietly. Jack blinked.

"No, I didn't. How come?" Mark yawned in his elbow and rubbed his eyes.

"On my world, I told you uh... all the complications, that we have." He glanced at Mat, wondering how much he and Nate had talked about Earth. "Well, I wasn't suppose to have a dog, but I did. And I loved her and my girlfriend Amy so much that I could never just abandon them to go to space, so..." Mark laughed and rubbed his neck. "I'm caught in a Weabler's web back at home, ha ha!" Jack's eyes were wide.

"Really?" He exclaimed. Mark nodded.

"Yeah! So the only way they would let me keep Chica was if I agreed to go on the Aurora. That's the name of the ship," he added to Felix. And then Mark shrugged. "I'm glad I came on board though. I would never have gotten to come on this crazy adventure!"He looked up at Mat and Nate. "What about you?" He asked Nate. "Why were you on the Aurora?" Nate flinched and looked at Mark with surprise.

"Oh. I uh..." he scratched his head and shrugged. "Just looking for adventure, I guess."

"Well, adventurers, how about some supper?" Felix glanced at his watch. "I'm sure Jack would like to make some stew?" He gave Jack puppy eyes; Jack rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Sure."

"Can I help?" Mark pleaded. Jack bit his lip.

"Well... as long as you're careful," he said slowly. Mark cheered and threw his hands up as he leap to his feet.

"Yay!"

"You don't mind us staying until the storm's over?" Mat asked nervously. Jack waved his hand.

"No, not at all! Hey Felix, maybe you guys can play Player Unknown's Battlegrounds." Felix smirked.

"We're so gonna die," he told Mat. Mat laughed.

"Not with that attitude!" He looked over at Nate. "You want to join us, or stay with Jack and Mark?" He offered. Nate glanced from giant to giant, then answered quietly.

"I'd rather explore on my own, if-if that's ok." He glanced at Jack nervously, but the green haired giant gave him a friendly smile.

"Just call if you need something," he told the tiny man. Nate nodded.

"Ok..." Mat crouched down and let Nate climb down his sleeve. "You know where to find me," he said. Nate rolled his eyes and dropped to the floor.

"Screaming like an eight year old when you get killed in a game? Yeah, I think I'll find you in no time." Mark laughed and walked over to Jack's hand resting on the table.

"Come on Jack, let's go!" He yelled, pushing on the giant's hand. Jack raised one brow and smiled.

"Impatient are we?" He turned his hand palm up and let Mark climb on. "Well have fun you guys!" He said to the others. With a turn that made Mark sway, unbalanced, Jack held the engineer to his chest and walked into the kitchen.

"What all do we need?" Mark asked Jack, tugging on his gargantuan friend's jacket.

"Well..." Jack let Mark climb onto the cabinet before he turned to a cabinet and rummaged through it. "I have a recipe here somewhere," he said as Mark walked up to his arm and started climbing up his sleeve. Jack didn't notice as his other arm reached in for one of the filed papers. "Aha! Here it is!" When he swung around to show Mark, the engineer yelped and slid a little before managing to grab on.

"Whoa, Jack! Wait!"

"Mark what are you doing!?"

"I wanted to see better!" Jack sighed and held his elbow up so Mark could walk across his arm.

"You could have gotten hurt!" He warned. "If you remember, I'm a very animated person, and I'm like three thousand times bigger than you or something- and you're still hurt! You're not in any condition to be climbing on me like a jungle gym!" Mark's legs were shaking as he fell to his hands and knees, safely on the giant's shoulder.

"I-I know," he said in a small voice. "I just wanted to get a better view." Jack sighed and waved his hand around the kitchen.

"How's this for view then? You happy?" Mark smiled a little.

"A little," he admitted cockily. Jack rolled his eyes and put the recipe on the counter.

"Oh and the big boy's happiness is all that matters!" He jested. Mark sat down and puffed his chest out.

"Of course!" He laughed. He knew Jack was only teasing because the giant was worried. "But I'll be more careful next time," he added on a serious note.

"I'll try to think before I move so wildly," Jack conceded. Then he added, chuckling, "I can only imagine how terrifying I am at that size!" Mark laughed.

"God don't get me started on that."

 


	23. Bottom of the Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making stew is hard work. It's been a long day.

"... and now we just let it sit and wait." Jack plopped on the couch and sighed. Mark sighed too and sat on the tube of gauzes.

"That was a lot of work!" He exclaimed. "I'm glad it'll only be a few hours before the sun sets."

"You want to go back outside?" Jack asked. "Or are you tired?" As if on cue Mark felt a yawn coming, and he stretched his arms out as he arched his back and yawned.

"I'm tired," he admitted. Jack smiled.

"Yeah I can see that." He laid down and stretched across the cushions, taking up the entire couch. He splayed his arms out and let out a giant yawn. "I'm tired too," Jack agreed. "I guess it's naptime!" Mark chuckled, and then Felix suddenly screamed bloody murder in the other room.

"AHH NO NO NO NO!" Jack and Mark turned their heads with wide eyed surprise as Felix let out a stream of curses and threw the controller. Mat yelped and started shouting too, and then his frantic yelling was cut off by a sigh of disappointment.

"Ahh dang it!" Mat groaned. "I almost had him!" Jack and Mark shared a look before they both laughed quietly.

"Are you sure it's naptime?" Mark asked, giggling.

"Yeah maybe not," Jack chuckled. The giant watched as Mark yawned again and rubbed his eyes, and Jack tried his hardest to not squeal like a fanboy over how adorable the tiny human was. "But you look tired," he added, getting up. He gently scooped Mark up and held him carefully as he walked to his room. "How are your stitches doing? You didn't pull any of them out today did you?"

"No." Mark shook his head and lay down in Jack's hand, stretching with another yawn. "I didn't push myself too hard," he murmured.

"Good." Jack walked into his room and headed straight for Mark's bed. "Here you go." He carefully helped Mark into his bed, and the human had his arms out when he plopped face first into his covers. Jack giggled. "You're so fucking ridiculous."

"You know I am!" Came Mark's muffled reply. Jack sighed and lay down on his bed.

"As long as you're comfy. Need anything before I conk out?" He asked. Mark sat up and flipped over on his back.

"I think I'm good." Jack nodded and closed his eyes as he yawned.

"Good," he rumbled sleepily. Mark listened as Jack's breathing gradually slowed, and he smiled to himself. _He's asleep now._ Outside he could hear the rain as it continued to pour, and Mark shivered as he remembered his size difference and temperature. He bundled the shirt up and huddled under it for a blanket. On the bright side it was the hottest time of the day, so Mark wasn't too cold. It was just the rain getting to him and making his skin crawl.

 _I should get some rest too,_ Mark thought, closing his eyes. _But I've been resting all day, I really want to stretch my legs. Then again, I am tired..._ Mark was pleased that cooking with Jack allowed him that chance. He got to learn all sorts of new plants and spices, and he was glad most of them were akin to Earth.

Gravity seemed to urge Mark to lay down, and he found himself laying back as he closed his eyes and sighed quietly. _I hope the others are ok..._

 

 

 

 

**Jack raced home from school one day and ran into the cabin. "Hey Ma!" He yelled. He charged into his room and threw his backpack on the bed. "Ma!" He looked around the house for his mom and found her in the kitchen. "Mom, we're going on a field trip tomorrow!" Jack exclaimed. His mom looked away from the dough she was kneading.**

**"Really? That's wonderful sweetie!"**

**"You just need to sign this!" Jack fumbled with a rolled up piece of paper as he pulled it out of his jacket and showed it to his mom. "We're going to the Krystal Lake!" He added excitedly, bouncing around. "Can I go, please Ma? Pleeeeeaaaase!?"**

**"I'll have to look at the forum and see," his mother chuckled. "Just put it over there on the counter." Jack squeaked excitedly and did as he was told. Then he ran to his room and quietly closed the door.**

**"Hi Sam," Jack whispered happily. He crouched down and looked under the bed, where Sam crawled around contently in a plastic container. Jack had taken great care of Sam over the past year. He gave the radwing fresh water every day, and he regularly changed the foliage in his small habitat so the small bug could enjoy the fresh green leaves.**

**Jack reached under his bed and opened the lid. He picked Sam up and cupped his hand as he held the green little bug up to his face. "There you go," he murmured. "Enjoy some fresh air little guy!" Sam crawled around on his hand, and the young boy giggled every time the bug pitter-pattered over a sensitive patch of skin. He smiled happily and carefully stroked the little bug's back.**

**He was watching Sam chirr and continue crawling around when his Ma suddenly knocked on the door.**

**"Jack how many times have I told you to not keep your door closed?" Jack's smile fell.**

**"A lot," he groaned.**

**"Exactly." His mom opened the door. "I don't want you to keep your door closed because-" she stopped and looked at Sam. Jack swallowed guiltily and held his hand over his chest.**

**"M-mom." His voice shook, afraid. "I-I know what you're thinking!" He blurted. "But I wasn't trying to hide him, I-I saved him from drowning the other day when-when it was raining really hard, I should have told you sooner, I'm sorry-" his mom held her hand up, shushing Jack.**

**"Jack." Her eyes were soft with affection. "I already knew." Jack's eyes bulged.**

**"Y-you knew?" He stammered. His cheeks flushed hot red with embarrassment.**

**"Of course I knew, I'm your mother." His mom put her hands on her hips. "And I almost vacuumed that poor thing when I found it last Spring. It got out of its container quite a few times over the past year, while you were at school." Jack's mom looked at him, and Jack's eyes dropped to the floor, ashamed to meet his mother's gaze.**

**"I'm sorry," he whined. "I wasn't trying to hide it from you, I-I didn't mean to, I just... I thought you'd be mad."**

**"I'm not mad." Jack looked up as his mom smiled kindly at him. "But you're gonna have to get rid of it." Jack's heart stopped.**

**"B-but-"**

**"Sweetheart, it's not appropriate to keep bugs in the house." His mom got down and ruffled his hair. "You've taken good care of it Jack, but I think it's time it went back into the wild." Jack looked sadly down at Sam.**

**"But... but Sam..." his Ma gently hugged him.**

**"It's ok Sean," she murmured. "He belongs outside. You wouldn't want to keep someone away from their home, would you?"**

**"... no," Jack conceded.**

**"Sam belongs out in nature." She mussed his hair. "Let him go home. Come on, I'll go with you." Jack sniffed and rubbed his eyes.**

**"Ok..." he followed his mom out of the cabin and crouched at the edge of the growing forest. With a sad smile he put his hand in the grass and let Sam climb out of his hand. "Bye little buddy," he murmured. "Go home where you belong." He watched the round little radwing crawl into the foliage, and his heart wrenched. He sniffed again and wiped his sleeve over his eyes as his mom hugged him, and together they headed back inside the cabin.**

 

 

 

 

Jack's eyes snapped open, and he sat up with a sharp inhale. His hands quickly wound through his tangled hair as the giant sighed and closed his eyes. 

"That was such a weird dream!" He murmured to himself. "Oh god..." He rubbed his eyes and groaned. _Who was that guy? Why did he have a blindfold on? And then there was Mark? But he looked... different..._ Jack looked up and glanced at Mark. The engineer was sound asleep, buried under the shirt Jack had lent him. Jack sighed and put his head in his hands. _I'm just tired and stressed,_ he told himself. _I need to relax, take a chill pill._ He lay back down and heaved his chest with a tired sigh. _Actually, what time is it?_ Jack rolled over and grabbed his phone. He groaned; it had only been an hour.

"Nope. Back to sleep, just lay down and close your eyes..." Jack grumbled, slapping his phone down. He rolled on his stomach and buried his face in the pillows, trying to go back to sleep. But as he started drowsing again, a small whimper woke him up. Jack lifted his head and turned over to sit up and look at Mark.

"Mahrk?" He murmured. The small human was tossing and turning in his sleep. He had thrown his covers off and was whimpering a lot. He couldn't make out what Mark was crying, but it sounded like he was having a nightmare. "Aww, Mark..." Jack's chest squeezed with sympathy. He got up and reached to pick his tiny friend up, but as soon as his fingers touched Mark, the engineer screamed and thrashed, flipping out. Jack's heart leaped up his throat and he jerked his hand away, feeling numb. _Poor guy... he must be having a really bad dream!_

"Shh..." He gently laid his hand over Mark and rubbed his thumb against his head. "It's ok little buddy, it's ok," he whispered. Mark squirmed under his hand and whimpered some more. "Shh... It's just a bad dream, that's all it is... it'll go away, you're ok." Jack coaxed his troubled guest and continued rubbing his head. A few more shivers and whimpers before Mark finally trembled and slowly relaxed under the giant's hand, sweaty and warm from the bad dreams. Jack sighed and used his other hand to gently muss Mark's hair. "That's it dude, just relax... you're ok," he murmured. It was worrying to feel Mark's heart pound against his hand like a small gong, but already it was starting to slow down. Jack sighed. 

_I hope he'll get some rest._ He let Mark continue to rest and looked out the window. It wasn't raining now, and the clouds had cleared showing a beautiful sunset. Jack smiled and put his elbows up on the sill, looking at it and wondering what Mark's world looked like. Was it as pretty as this? Probably not. Jack frowned when he recalled how torn up Mark was about his world's problems. The steampunk world he had described was heavily clustered and foggy with smog, and the people in charge hadn't like Mark having his doggo.

 _I'll have to ask Mark some more questions when he feels up to it._ Jack glanced at Mark. He was still resting but more peacefully. He still had a frown carved on his countenance though, but at least he wasn't shuddering or thrashing and crying out for help. Jack sighed and ruffled his green hair. He was worried about his little buddy. How much could Mark take before living in this world broke him? He had already been in two life-threatening situations, and he was having feverish nightmares. How much longer would it be before he was afraid of Jack?

Was he already afraid of the giant? Jack knew he could be a little loud and overzealous with his actions, but maybe Mark was scared of Jack and just hiding it really well. But something was off. Maybe Mark was still a little uncomfortable with the situation. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but before Jack could dwell on it any longer he heard a rustling and turned his head. Mark was sitting up in his bed and rubbing his eyes, waking up.

"Hey buddy." Jack forced himself to smile. "Sleep well?" Mark squinted up at the giant and yawned.

"Y-yeah, really well." Jack's eyes narrowed, but he didn't push on the subject. He knew for certain that Mark was lying this time.

"I slept pretty good too," Jack instead said to continue the conversation. He added wittily, "Let's just say in my dreams there were lots of puppies!" Mark smiled.

"I didn't have any," he said nervously. He got up and stretched, popping his back with a groan. "Is the stew ready yet?" He quickly asked, changing the subject. Jack's chest moved with an inward sigh, but the giant decided to try talking to Mark later.

"I'll go check." Jack left the room as Mark tried to shake off the grogginess and guilt from his mind. He felt bad about lying to Jack but he didn't want the giant to worry. Mark groaned and rubbed his eyes again, trying to shove the disturbing images from his thoughts. _That was not a good nap,_ he admitted to himself. Instead of feeling well rested he felt aged, tired.

 _I shouldn't dwell on it._ Mark pat his cheeks to slap himself awake and grappled his way onto the floor. He headed out of Jack's room and walked down the hallway to see Mat talking to Nate. Felix was in the kitchen stealing a bite of stew until Jack told him off and kicked him out, but the blonde giant still escaped with a free spoonful.

Just as Mark walked into the kitchen Jack was turning to go back to his room when he noticed Mark. "Oh, Mark! I was gonna come get you, it's ready," he said.

"I can see that!" Mark shot Felix a teasing glare as Jack crouched down and reached his hand over to Mark. But Mark flinched as his bad dream came flooding back to him, and he saw Jack frown and hesitate.

"... you alright?" Jack asked, looking worried. Mark felt panic rise up in him like a tidal wave. _No, don't tell him, he doesn't need to know..._

"I'm-I'm fine!" He quickly climbed on Jack's waiting hand before the giant could ask anymore questions. He heard Jack sigh as the giant got up and carried Mark at chest level. Mark blinked the dizziness away while Jack got a bowl of stew.

"You and Nate can have your own spoonfuls," he told the tiny spaceman. Mark nodded.

"Ok, thanks." Jack brought him to the living room and joined the others. Mark still felt awkward, so he decided to blurt the first thing that came to mind.

"Feed me!" He wailed jokingly. Jack rolled his eyes and snickered.

"Like I haven't been already?" He teased. He put Mark on the table and balanced a spoon full of the hot broth for Mark to eat. Mark put his hands on his hips and assumed a sassy posture.

"Yeah, but all I've had is nothing but soup and soup and soup!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"Soup's good," Mat said before scooping up another spoonful of stew. Mark stuck his tongue out and laughed as he turned and began to eat.

"Yes it is," he agreed, ending the jest. The unique group of friends enjoyed eating and talking together for dinner. It didn't matter that they were two different races from entirely different space systems, or that the tiny guests were much smaller than their gargantuan friends. For a moment, it was peaceful; there was no hiding from the government, no desperate grasp for survival... it was just five guys chilling, hanging out, having a good time.

"Aww." Jack puckered his lower lip and pouted. "My bowl's empty now!"

"I got you boo!" Mark dragged the end of his empty spoon and pushed the handle into the bowl. "There, now it's not empty!" He proclaimed. Jack laughed.

"That's not what I meant, asshole!" He pushed the spoon back to Mark and got up, leaving to go get himself seconds. Mark smirked smugly at his retreating back and looked over at the others. Nate was done eating as well, so Mark walked over to him and Mat.

"So," he said, "When do you think rescue will come?" Nate shrugged.

"I'm not sure." He hesitated, then added, "To be honest, I thought they might have come by now." Mark frowned.

"Maybe they're having trouble finding us," he mused. "We are, after all, in Sector D. It's uncharted area." Nate nodded.

"I'm sure they're on their way," Mat chimed in. "Maybe they're surveying the surrounding regions before they come to this planet, just to make sure you crashed on this world." Mark found relief from Mat's words and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said as Jack walked back in. He looked over at the green haired giant and noticed that he looked tense.

".... Can I talk to you Mark?" Jack suddenly asked as he set his bowl on the table. Mark frowned.

"Sure." Jack put his hand down and let Mark climb onto his hand. He waved at Nate before Jack carried him to the recording room and shut the door behind him. Mark looked up at Jack.

"What's his about?" He asked. Jack bit his lip.

"Well, first off, I'm sorry I couldn't say this sooner, but everything's been so insane, like you said earlier." He walked over to the desk and let Mark climb off his hand. Mark could see that the usually good-humored giant was wearing a very solemn expression.

"Go on," Mark gently urged. Jack sat in his chair and tapped his fingers on his knees, looking nervous. He took a deep breath and then answered Mark with, "Remember the meeting I had to go to before you were kidnapped?" Mark's frown deepened, and he nodded. Jack inhaled deeply again and dived into his story. Mark listened with wide eyes as Jack told him about Septic Robotics, and his jaw dropped in horror when Jack mentioned that they had live specimen.

"Who!?" Mark demanded. "Who was it, who did they bring to the meeting?" Jack blinked at him.

"It was a girl," he stammered. "She had, uh, blonde hair, a ripped white coat, I-I think, and, uh, a black v-neck... she had a necklace on too I think-" Mark interrupted with a gasp.

"No!" He gripped his hair and stared at Jack with wide eyes. "Is she ok? They didn't hurt her did they!?" He demanded. Jack shook his head, surprised that Mark was so strongly appalled.

"N-no, she's ok." Then he added, amused, "She bit one of them when they first caught her." Mark let out a sigh, relaxing, but he still looked shook.

"Wh-what about the others? Are they ok?" He asked desperately.

"I'm pretty sure." Jack still felt guilty that he didn't say anything sooner. He rested his elbows on the desk and put his hand behind Mark. "Do you know them?" Mark nodded quickly.

"They're my friends." Jack's heart wilted.

"Oh..." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry Mark, I-I should have said something sooner!" Mark looked up at Jack with a gentle shake of his head.

"It's ok Jack, a lot of shit was happening," he assured the giant. "But thank you for telling me." Mark thought for a few seconds, and then he added, "At least they're out of the wild. Now I just need to find a way to get them out of there."

"I'll help you," Jack immediately offered. Mark blinked and smiled, grateful.

"Thanks Jack." Jack nodded and clenched his hand in a fist.

"I just hope that they're ok," he murmured. "Poor guys, being stuck in cages and ogled like animals!" He knew his imagination was running away from him, but Jack couldn't help himself. He narrowed his eyes and sat up in the chair. "I'll kick their scientist-asses and then they'll regret it!" He declared. Mark smiled; he appreciated Jack's devotion, but he didn't want to start a fight. But as he opened his mouth to reply, a noise changed his words.

"What's that noise?" They both stopped and listened. For a moment it didn't sound like anything, but as they listened the sound gradually grew louder. It was unfamiliar to Jack, who frowned, but Mark's eyes widened. "It's the ships!" He sprang up, alert, and ran onto Jack's hand. "Rescue!" He exclaimed. Jack's eyes widened.

"Finally!" The giant held his hand to his chest and quickly walked into the living room. The others had heard the droning of the rescue fleet too, and they were all alert.

"Is that-?" Felix started to ask Jack.

"They're finally here!" Mat's eyes were wide as he looked down at Nate and smiled. "You guys can finally go home!" Mark couldn't see what Nate was thinking since his back was turned, but the engineer instead turned and tugged on Jack's jacket.

"Come on, let's go!" Jack frowned and put Mark down.

"Just wait here, we're not for sure if it's them." Mark huffed as Jack walked to the front door.

"Of course it's them!" He ran after the giant. "We need to get to them as fast as possible and tell them about the others!" Jack looked around on the front porch.

"I don't know," he called back, thinking Mark was still in the living room. "I don't see-" Mark let out an exclamation and pointed.

"Look there, over the tree line!" Jack turned and saw ships akin to Mark's flying through the air and approaching the cabin. He frowned and looked down at Mark.

"Why aren't they hailing us? If they can see you then shouldn't they be calling for you?" He asked.

"Maybe they can't see me." Jack watched with wide eyes as Mark ran over to the porch steps and climbed down them.

"Mark, wait!" He stammered. "Your stitches!" He sighed as Mark ignored him and ran for the forest, waving his arms and shouting, "Hey! Over here!" Jack sighed and shook his head.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Jack looked to see Felix frowning at the approaching ships. "I don't know why," Felix added quietly, "But something just doesn't feel right. It's too easy, too soon. Why didn't they tell Mark they were landing on our planet, or reach out to him?" Jack felt the same, but he didn't want to admit it; it didn't make any sense.

"Don't be ridiculous," he retorted, trying to force down the twisting knot of anxiety in his throat. "Of course it's them, who else could it be?"

But his spidey sense told him that something wasn't right about this.

 


	24. Wrong Guys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has the rescue fleet finally come? Maybe it's not all what it seems...

"Mark, wait up!" Mark glanced over his shoulder to see Jack walking after him. He said nothing and kept running, his eyes trained on the ships as they landed in the forest. He knew the giant would catch up easily, and he wanted to get to the rescue fleet as soon as possible. They needed to know about the others, they were in trouble!

"Hey!" Mark called again. He waved his arms as he ran into the clearing the ships had landed in. "Hey, I'm here! Hey!" As he approached, the ships opened. People came out and looked at Mark as he slowed to a walk and came up to them.

"Mark Fischbach?" A woman asked. Mark nodded.

"Yes! Yes I am!" He panted. He took a few seconds to catch his breath before he added, "Holy shit am I glad to see you guys. I've been waiting forever!"

"I'm sure you have been," a young man chimed in. "But we're here now." Mark nodded, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you!" Before he could tell them about the others, he noticed one of the younger people amongst them and widened his eyes. "Did you bring a kid on this job!?" The boy bristled and shot Mark a fierce glare.

"Well, Billy's qualified," the woman interjected. "He brought us here."

"Really?" Mark looked at Billy with awed respect. "That's incredible, I wish I was that clever at your age." He turned to the young man. "How did you find me though? I could have been anywhere in Sector D."

"We pinged the Aurora's last known location," the man answered quickly. Mark sighed and looked around, wondering where Jack was.

"Yeah. I-I don't know what happened to her, one minute she was flying fine... the next we were being pulled in by this world's gravity." He realized Jack was probably staying hidden so he wouldn't scare off Mark's rescuers; sure enough, he spotted some of the giant's green hair blending in behind some foliage, and he smiled before turning away to look at the woman.

 

 

 

 

"Jack keep your head down!" Mat whispered.

"Sorree!" Jack muttered. He fidgeted and tried to keep his pale skin hidden behind the leaves.

"At least your hair blends in," Felix murmured, amused. Jack scowled at Felix.

"Speak for yourself you blonde meatball!" He retorted.

"Hey, quiet!" Nate snapped from Mat's pocket. "They'll hear you."

"Is that necessarily a bad thing?" Felix dared to take another peek. "I mean, they're here, turns out Mark was right; so can they go home now?"

"Not yet," Jack murmured. His chest was being clenched by the invisible claws of anxiety. He didn't know why he was so nervous! Then it hit him; he didn't want to say goodbye to Mark, not yet at least. A wave of sadness washed over Jack, but he tried to bury it. He needed to let Mark go home.

 _I'll really miss him though,_ Jack thought to himself. _Even if he hasn't been here that long, we've become such good friends..._ Jack smiled sadly. _At least he can go back home and be happy again. All we need to do now is find his friends._

But what happened next was _not_ what Jack expected.

 

 

 

 

"Do you have any information on this world?" Mark asked. The woman shook her head.

"Afraid not. But we do that you're the last survivor." She smiled. "And that's all that matters." Mark frowned. They didn't know about the others?

"What do you-?" He stopped midsentence when he heard a gun cock. He turned around and, to his shock, saw Billy pointing a gun at him. "Huh? Wh-what are you doing?" Mark stammered. His voice quavered, flabbergasted. What was going on?

"Sorry pal." Billy narrowed his eyes. "It's nothing personal, but... it's kind of personal." The cold fury in his eyes was unlike anything Mark had ever seen before, and in such a young person! Mark took a step back, putting his hands up. But Billy kept the barrel of the gun aimed at him. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," he murmured. "So did my father..." he bared his teeth and gripped the gun harder. "And this is for him." Mark's eyes widened.

"W-wait-!" Behind the bushes, Jack's eyes were wide. Ignoring a stutter of surprise from Felix, he waited no longer and shoved out of the bushes and ran out of hiding.

"NO!" He roared. Startled, Billy and his men backed away as Jack ran in front of Mark and growled, "Get away from him!" Billy was the first to snap out of his surprise and scowled with a growl of annoyance.

"Fine." He waved the gun at his people. "Come on, let's get out of this shitty forest." As they backed away, Billy added to Jack, "You better be careful. You'll keep looking over your shoulder, worrying about me. But you'll be blind to the real threat... Until it's too late." Mark was trembling behind Jack when he peered past his friend, and he realized with confusion that Billy was now looking at him. A growl rose up in Jack's throat, and he took a step closer to Billy.

"Get out of here," he said in a low tone. "And don't come back. You are not welcome!" Mark was hardly aware of Nate pulling him back by the arm as he watched the people he thought were suppose to rescue his friends turn and walk away.

"N-no..." he cried. "Th-they were suppose to- but they- th-the ships...!" Mat put his hand in front of Mark like a wall when the engineer tried to break away from Nate and run after Billy.

"Mark don't," he murmured. "I'm sorry, but they're not the right people to help you." Mark was breaking down. He fell to his knees and collapsed.

"But-but my friends..." When the humanoid aliens disappeared into the forest, Jack relaxed and turned around.

"It's gonna be ok Mark," he murmured. He crouched down and reached for Mark. He rubbed Mark's head with his smallest finger, hoping that it would help. Mark continued crying, but he didn't pull away. "We're gonna find your friends, and you are going home one way or another," Jack continued. Nate was looking at the ground, silent as Mat put his hand close by for comfort.

"What did he mean by "You'll be blind to the real threat until it's too late?" Felix suddenly asked. Jack looked up to see that his friend was glaring down at Mark. Without even thinking he quietly pulled Mark closer as he met Felix's challenging stare.

"Who knows?" He said. "He was probably planning something. Maybe the reason he backed off so easily was because he's waiting for more of his people." He hesitated. "... What was he even? Why did he come here to try and attack Mark?"

"You're asking the wrong person," Felix huffed. "You should be asking him." He jerked his finger at Mark. Jack narrowed his eyes and scooped Mark up to hold him against his stomach.

"Why would Mark know?"

"Come on Jack, you heard him!" Felix exclaimed. "Billy said it was personal."

"He also said that he was doing it for his dad!" Jack's voice was raising, shocked at Felix's accusations.

"Hey, guys," Mat tried to coincide. "Let's just take a step back and-" But neither giant was listening to him.

"Well then why the fuck did he try to kill Mark!?" Felix snapped. "Why would he pull a gun on someone he doesn't even know?" Jack could feel his blood beginning to boil. He knew he needed to take a step back and breathe, but he wasn't going to stand for Felix berating Mark.

"I don't know! None of us do!" His grip on Mark tightened protectively, ignoring a squirm of protest. "How are we suppose to know what that maniac was thinking? And he was a fucking _kid_ , so who knows what the hell was going on through his mind!"

"Well he seemed to know what he was doing," Felix countered. "Which makes me wonder a few things about our so called friend."

"You mean _my_ friend," Jack exploded. "You've been acting like you don't want anything to do with him!" Felix recoiled.

"Stop it!" Mark punched Jack's fist, getting both of the giants' attention. "That's enough!" He snapped. "Both of you are acting like children!" Jack looked down to see calm wisdom in the engineer's small countenance. "I can fend for myself, thank you Jack," Mark continued. "I can speak for myself, I'm my own person responsible for my own problems." His voice was cool and mature, washing over Jack's heated emotions. Jack ducked his head as he realized Mark was right, and embarrassment flooded him. _If Mark can keep his shit together, then so should I._

"And I know things have been tense ever since I crash landed on this world," Mark continued, nodding to Felix in acknowledgement. "And I'm sorry that I've caused a rift between you and Jack. But I can promise you I don't know who he was." Mark's voice shook when he continued, "And I don't know why they came, or where they got those ships..." Mark stopped, suddenly hit with a thought.

Nate seemed to read his mind. He weaved away from Mat's hand and started running for the ships. "Jack, put me down," Mark said firmly. Without a word Jack did what the astronaut asked. Together, Mark and Nate ran to the nearest ship to investigate. Nate reached it first and vanished into the gaping door. Mark brought up the rear and poked his head in.

The first thing he noticed was the sharp acrid smell. He immediately gagged at the iron tang of blood and covered his nose. Nate was looking at the floor with a sorrowful gaze.

"They must have pirated the rescue fleet," he said quietly. Mark looked, and then he quickly turned away.

"God, these poor people!" He looked around and headed for the captain's seat. Another body lay strewn in the corridor between the pilot seats. Mark bit his lip and tried to not look at it as he carefully stepped over the corpse and sat in the chair. "The black box is missing!" He told Nate. He heard the man grunt and rummage around. Mark tapped the keyboard and tried to look at the ship data. "There's still fuel in them!" The engineer's hopes rose. "We could use these to get everyone home!" Mark exclaimed. Jack's giant blue eye suddenly peered through the windshield.

"Is there enough for you _and_ your friends to go back to your world?" Jack asked. Mark looked up.

"Yeah!" Mark climbed out of the seat and ran to the open door. Jack turned his head and moved so he could talk to the human face to face. When he saw the body on the floor, his eyes widened.

"Jesus fuck, they killed your people?" He gasped. Mark nodded sadly, trying not to recall the horrible image behind him.

"Yeah." Mark moved aside to let Jack peek in.

"Can you fly it?" Mat walked up to the ships and peered into another one. "They look pretty cool," he remarked.

"Of course I can!" Mark put his hands on his hips and stuck his chest out. "Not only did everyone get basic flight instructions as a trainee, but I also took a few flight classes since I'm an engineer!" Jack pulled his head away from the ship as Nate climbed out of it.

"Guys," he said, "You might wanna see this." Mark hurried in after Nate to see what was wrong. To his dismay, the young man walked over to the body in the corridor and crouched beside it. "Look." He pointed to the dead man's eyes. Mark swallowed down a wave of nausea and forced himself to look at the mangled body.

"It looks fine," he stammered. Nate nodded.

"Now watch this." He touched the eye and moved his finger. A clear membrane was pulled away like a curtain, revealing the eye's true unnatural color. Mark gasped.

"What!" He covered his mouth. "Is that one of the aliens?"

"I think so," Nate said. He got up and wiped his hands. "I recognize him too. He was one of the officers that sent us up into the Space Station." Nate hesitated and added, "And... I've seen this before." Mark's eyes were big and wide.

"You have?" Nate nodded, but he suddenly looked pale. He bit his lip and turned away.

"Yeah... While we were on the Aurora, I made friends with a guy. He was cool, he didn't care about the rules but he seemed like a good man." Nate sighed. "Then as soon as we reached Sector D, I was checking on the nuclear reactor when he..." He shook his head and ended the story there.

"So- wait. The Aurora was... sabotaged!?" Mark's head was spinning. "We were all suppose to die on that ship then, and Billy's come to finish the job!"

"He thought you're the sole survivor," Nate reminded. "He'll be after you. You heard that guy, from the way he was talking his dad died trying to get to you." Nate nodded at the body. "And I think that's him." Mark suddenly felt dizzy. He couldn't take the stench of death any longer, and this news was just too much. He gagged and covered his mouth.

"I need air." He ran out of the ship and went behind to compose himself. Meanwhile, Jack sat up and looked over at Felix. Both of their bright blue eyes were wide with distress.

"You hear that?" He asked. "Billy doesn't have a personal score against Mark. He wants revenge on the entire human race!"


	25. The Gæmba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark seeks answers about Billy and his people when he also discovers why Felix has been so prickly.

"Any luck yet?" Mark asked hopefully when Jack entered the room. Jack shook his head.

"No." Mark sighed. Mat was in the other room working with Nate to try and pinpoint where the survivors of the Aurora were being held. Felix had argued that they knew Septic Robotics had them, so why not just go look around and find them? But Mat had replied with "We don't know which facility, we can't just pick at random and choose- we have to go into the right building with a solid plan." Felix at this point had given up and stormed off to his room, while Jack was making sure Mark was ok.

"Ye sure you're alright?" He had asked. Mark had lied and said he was fine, but he was shaken. Even now he was tense, afraid that Billy would find his friends before he could, and kill them.

Back in the present, Jack was talking. "Well Mat said he's doing research as fast as he can, he's got like fifty tabs open right now, and Nate's doing what he can too." Mark dragged his mind out of the gutter that resembled his scrambled thoughts and snapped back into the present.

"Great," he grunted. Jack sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Maybe you should get some rest," He suggested. "It's been a long day." Mark shook his head.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Jack's chest heaved with a sigh as he sat down beside the small engineer.

"You sure? It's half past midnight," he pointed out. Mark shook his head again.

"I think I'll take a walk instead," he mumbled. Jack looked uncertain, but he didn't disagree with the small engineer.

"Ok," Jack sighed. "Just don't wander off too far." Mark smiled.

"Yes _dad_ ," he sneered. Jack stuck his tongue out at him and laughed.

"Call me _daddy_." Mark wrinkled his nose.

"Fuck, no! That just sounds wrong, you made that weird!" He laughed. Jack smirked.

"You're welcome!" He sang. Mark shook his head.

"Whatever, just help me down!" Jack giggled and offered his hand. Mark went through the familiar ritual of climbing onto the giant's hand, waiting for Jack to crouch down and put his hand on the floor, and then climbing off. "I'll be back in a little bit!" He called over his shoulder as he walked off.

"Ok." Mark was aware of Jack's gaze on him until he walked out of the room. He looked around, and then sighed and walked to the spare room. His escape ship was still sitting on the bed, just waiting for the astronaut to finish repairing it.

"Karen!" Mark yelled. He heard the ship beep.

"Captain," Karen answered.

"Are there any humanoid creatures in your data log?"

"Searching..." Mark took this time to climb up the bed sheets. "Detecting thirteen species," Karen said.

"Can you narrow that down please? And don't include this world's giants, ok?" Mark puffed as he pulled himself up. "Are there any that look almost exactly like humans?"

"Scanning." Mark climbed into the ship as Karen used process of elimination with holographic documents and images. "Detecting three," she announced. Mark studied each picture closely.

"Hmm." He frowned. "Do any of them have a second eyelid?" Two of the pictures dissipated.

"The Gæmba are a humanoid race," Karen began. "Their anatomy are similar to humans but have two hearts and nictitating membrane. Their eye colors are also unnatural, or inconsistent with human eye colors."

"Hmm." Mark scrolled down and read the document. There wasn't much on the Gæmba, but there was a mentioning of the Solar Race. "Pull up the documents on the Solar Race please?" A second and third document appeared beside the first one. Mark sighed. "I know the Solar Race was about America reaching the outer edges of our solar system, but how does this tie in with the Gæmba?"

"One of the Gæmba were taken prisoner and interrogated after exploding one of the research ships. He died from his injuries."

"Who was he?"

"Name: Gerald. Age: Twenty nine solar rotations. Was a Gæmba elite, commander of a once great race from the other side of the galaxy. Claimed to be justified in his slaughtering." Mark frowned thoughtfully.

"Once great race?" He echoed.

"The Gæmba, according to Gerald, were almost extinct after an unknown tragedy that left the mighty empire only a handful of stragglers."

"That's sad..." Mark sighed and crossed his arms. "Is there anyone named Billy in the database?"

"Entity Billy not found," Karen said. Mark sighed again.

"Great. Thanks." Mark left his ship more troubled than when he entered. _That's comforting news,_ his mind said mockingly. Mark tried to push his troubles away as he walked back out in to the hall. _I was hoping Karen could tell me some good news... but I guess not._

As Mark walked past Felix's room, he heard Felix growl. "No, Marzia please! That's not what this is about." Mark backpedaled and peeked past the door. Felix was sitting on the bed with his phone in his lap projecting a screen.

"Then why are you spending so much time with Jack?" The pretty girl on the screen asked. Felix ran his fingers through his hair and sighed.

"Because he needs my help!" He said. "Marzia please, he just- he's having some personal problems and he needs me."

"And that's why you missed our _anniversary_?"

Mark felt his heart drop.

"Yeah..." Felix's head bowed. "I'm sorry Marzia," he pleaded. "I promise I'll make it up to you. I really am sorry." The girl was quiet for a few seconds.

"Just be home as soon as you can." The holoscreen turned off. Felix sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Goddamnit," He whispered. Mark watched him quietly, and then pushed the door open.

"F-Felix?" As soon as the blonde's misty blue eyes settled on him, Mark blurted, "I-I'm sorry, I just couldn't help but overhear, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine." Felix threw his phone behind him carelessly; it bounced off the covers and fell to the floor. "I was just talking to my wife." Mark took a few steps closer.

"She seemed lovely," he said quietly. Felix rubbed his cheek.

"She is," he sighed. "But lately I've been shit to her."

" Because of me." Mark mumbled. Felix looked at Mark with surprise and regret.

"I- that's not-" he stammered. Mark put his hand up.

"It's ok. I understand," he murmured. He smiled sadly. "Being stressed about your beloved other isn't easy. You worry when they're not around, especially if you don't know whether they're ok or not." Felix was quiet.

"... is that..." Felix cleared his throat and moved his butt to the floor. "Is that coming from experience?" He asked. Mark blinked.

"Yeah." As he answered, he realized that Felix was right. He put his hands in his pockets, suddenly feeling shy. "My girlfriend, Amy, she uh, she's one of the people that the Septic Robotics captured." Felix's eyes widened.

"I-I didn't know." He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sighed. "It's stressful isn't it? Caring about someone you love?"

"It's not just lovers," Mark agreed. "Friends, best friends, even total strangers you see that are suffering." Felix didn't say anything for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Strangers like you," he murmured. Mark shrugged.

"If you want to use me as an example, then sure, but I meant like a kitten or a-"

"Yeah, I do." Felix balled up his hands and put them in his lap. "Look dude," he sighed. "I know I've been pretty uptight lately. I've kind of been a bitch to you, and... I'm sorry." Mark nodded with understanding.

"You don't have to apologize. I get it, I really do." He sat down. "I'm a complete stranger. I don't even belong in this world, yet here I am." Felix nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah. You're pretty lucky, with what you went through." He fell silent for a few seconds, and then he added, "Jack's a great guy. You're lucky to have him."

"So are you," Mark countered. "And no more arguing!" Felix cracked a smile and offered his hand.

"Truce?" Mark smiled and grabbed his fingertip, taking it in an awkward handshake.

"Truce," he laughed.

 

 

 

 

**"Come on Fischbach, let's get a move on!" Mark swung his fists faster and harder, and then he bounced back on his feet, shuffling. His partner took the next turn, swinging. Mark ducked and went for the window of opportunity. "Good!" His instructor yelled as his sparring partner reeled. The man shook his head and put his fists back up, and he thrust another punch. Mark blocked it and swept his foot under the man's feet, and the next second he was down.**

**"Atta boy!" The instructor blew the whistle. "Match!" Mark helped his partner up. Both trainees were panting and shiny with perspiration.**

**"Thanks," the man puffed. "Good job!"**

**"Yeah, you too," Mark panted. They climbed out of the arena and sat on the benches. Mark grabbed his water and guzzled it down.**

**"You're a really good fighter," the man remarked after he finished drinking from his bottle.**

**"I'm just well-trained," Mark answered modestly. The man chuckled.**

**"Well, your tongue is sure as sharp as your right hook." He rubbed his jawline. "No wonder you're top class," he added. Mark scoffed.**

**"Like I said, I was trained hard and long." As he took another drink, the man stuck his hand out.**

**"My name's Thomas." Mark shook his hand.**

**"I'm Mark." Thomas nodded and took another long drink.**

**"So what are you here for?" Mark sighed.**

**"I'm just keeping in shape for the Aurora's next mission." He nodded at the instructor's turned back. "He's my captain; recommended I come here every day until October."**

**"You're an astronaut." Thomas's eyes were wide with amazement. "You're a researcher?" He asked. Mark shook his head.**

**"No. I'm just a crew member. I'm an engineer," he explained.**

**"Oh, ok." Thomas wiped the sweat from his forehead. "That's still really cool," he said. Mark laughed.**

**"Thanks, I guess." He put his drink down and looked at Thomas. "So what do you do?" Thomas shrugged.**

**"Well, lots of things. I'm one of those people that go around doing other peoples' housework."**

**"I bet that pays well," Mark said, "Lots of busy work, never a jobless moment. There's always something to do."**

**"Yeah." Thomas sighed. "Sometimes that's rough though, you know? I mean, I'm just not sure what I want to do yet."**

**"That's ok though." Mark smiled. "Not everybody knows what they want to do as soon as they become an adult. It takes time and patience. Just find a medium between doing what you love and taking care of yourself."**

**"Wow." Thomas chuckled. "That was... pretty grown up of you." Mark laughed.**

**"I'm still a child at heart, don't worry."**

 

 

 

 

Mark opened his eyes to bright sunlight shining through the window. He was warm all over, basking in the golden glow and also wrapped up under a blanket. He yawned and turned over on his side, feeling the surface beneath him pulse with body heat and life. He opened his eyes again and glanced up. Sure enough, Jack was stretched out under him and still asleep.

Mark smiled and closed his eyes. _I may be on an alien planet... but I feel safe here._ In the giant's breast his heart boomed powerfully in a slow rhythmic beat. In his lungs Mark could hear the soft whoosh of wind every time the giant took a breath. And the bodily noises of his gargantuan friend comforted Mark; this time, he wasn't afraid at all.

 _I'm glad I didn't have a bad dream for once._ He shivered and pulled the covers closer. _I wish I wasn't so scared though, I don't need to be._ He understood that, as a human, it was only natural for him to be wary of someone so big and more powerful, but he didn't want to be afraid.

As Mark pondered, Jack stirred and moved slightly. He glanced up at him and sighed quietly. _I haven't even been here that long, but... Jack feels like a close friend._ His smile returned a little. As he yawned and stretched, his stomach suddenly growled, and at the same time so did Jack's. _He's probably gonna wake up soon._ Mark rolled over on his other side and pulled the blanket over his shoulders. _I shouldn't worry so much though,_ he told his brain. _I don't need to be afraid. I can trust Jack, and I do trust him._

 _Do you really though?_ A voice whispered in the back of his mind. Mark frowned.

 _Of course I do,_ he thought.

 _Ha!_ His thoughts were laughing at him now. _He's a giant! What are you gonna do when he turns on you? Run away? Like in your dreams? You know how that always ends._ It mocked.

"I trust him!" Mark said out loud.

"Trust who?" Mark jumped out of his skin and turned to see Jack rubbing his eyes.

"Jack!" He sighed. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," the giant mumbled. "But I'm hungry!" Mark chuckled.

"Me too. I could use some pancakes," he suggested. Jack hummed in agreement and moved a little.

"That sounds fantastic! Hop off then dude." As quick as he could go, Mark got off the giant's chest and climbed onto the covers a safe distance away. The mattress inflated as Jack crawled out of bed and stretched in the dawn light with a strained groan. Then he turned around and offered Mark a lift.

"You want syrup?" Jack asked. Mark climbed into his hand and nodded.

"Of course!"

"Exactly." Jack chuckled and held his hand level with his shoulder. "Just making sure you know what syrup is."

"Of course I know what syrup is!" Mark exclaimed, moving onto the giant's shoulder. "I love food! I love meat, I like dark meat _and_ white meat, sweets, and all pizza! Except for pineapple pizza," he chuckled. Jack stopped dead in his tracks.

"... what about pineapple pizza?" He asked slowly.

"Well, I've never actually had it, but I never got a chance to try it. Plus I don't really think I have the balls to try it yet," Mark giggled.

"Are. You. Serious!?" Jack gasped in horror. "Why are we friends again?" Mark laughed and poked the giant's shoulder.

"Because I'm like a lost puppy and also crash landed in your neck of the woods," he reminded. Jack moaned and swayed dramatically, forcing Mark to hold on tight to his shirt.

"But pineapple pizza is the best! It's the fucking jam!" The tiny engineer smiled.

"I guess you'll have to get me some before I go home."

"Hell yeah dude!" Jack continued walking and entered the living room. Matt was on the couch, staring at a laptop intently, with Nate sitting on his knee swinging his legs.

"Hey guys." Mark waved. Matt grunted a distracted "Hey," and all Nate did was wave. Jack carried on into the kitchen and searched for the necessary ingredients. Mark watched comfortably against the giant's neck, enjoying his much bigger perspective.

"First thing's first though." Jack put his hand up and pulled a bag of ground coffee beans out of the cabinet. "I need coffee before we do _anything_."


	26. Paparazzi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being famous is harder than you think.

Breakfast was pretty quiet. The pancakes were made as promised, and Jack pulled everyone together to enjoy a nice morning meal. But Mark could still feel the tension in the air. He too was quiet, nervously eating close beside Jack, and he too was keeping himself preoccupied with his food. Mat and Nate seemed the most quiet, eager to get back to their research and eating quickly.

"Thanks Jack." Mat got up and carried his empty dish to the sink.

"Yeah, no problem," Jack said between mouthfuls. The giant headed back to his laptop and resumed researching with his little partner in crime. Jack continued shoveling away as Mark looked over at the two friends. They seemed so much like Yin and Yang, and yet they were inseparable. _Just like me and Jack,_ Mark noted with amusement.

Unfortunately, Jack had decided he wanted more syrup. He was still tired, so when he grabbed it and tried to open it, it fell out of his hand and thumped right beside Mark. It rapidly oozed its sweet contents out, startling Mark as he was washed over with a wave of syrup and let out a girlish yelp.

"Oh my god, Mark!" Mark blinked rapidly as he was fished out of the thick golden liquid. "Shit, I'm so sorry!" Jack tried to pick the bottle back up, but the damage had been done. Mark was covered head to toe in syrup.

" Jack!" The engineer finally exclaimed. "What did you do!?" Felix bit his lip to hold back a snicker and shoved another bite of pancakes in his mouth.

"I'm sorry!" Jack tried to not laugh as he got up and grabbed a towel. Mark was still trying to figure out how to react as he was patted down.

"You threw off my groove!" He finally yelled. Jack snorted.

"Sorry," he giggled. Mark decided to make fun of the situation.

"At least I taste better," he joked.

"Do ya?" Mark screeched when Jack made to move him closer to his lips.

"I was just joking!" He laughed, pushing away. Jack chuckled and tried to get the syrup out of his hair.

"So was I." Mark couldn't help but shiver in relief as the towel rubbed his head. When Jack lifted the towel, Mark's floofy and once soft looking hair stuck up like a thorn bush. Jack burst out cackling.

"Felix, look!" He held Mark up, who looked confused. Felix laughed.

"Fucking hell man, he's not gonna be in one piece by the time rescue actually comes!" He remarked. Mark reached up and touched his hair, and then he gasped dramatically.

"JACK!!" Jack was shaking with bellows of laughter.

"I'm sorry!" Mark covered his ears and laughed alongside him.

"I should have you beheaded for your crimes!"

"Oh really? Well you can kiss my royal ass."

"Nah, don't feel like it."

"Shouldn't you get washed off before that dries, Mark?" Felix interrupted. Mark sighed and looked down at himself.

"Yeah, you're right." He wiped his arm on Jack's fingers.

"Eww!" Jack complained. "You're making me sticky!" Mark didn't bat an eye.

"That's what _she_ said."

"Good grief," Nate sighed from afar. Mat nodded wordlessly in agreement, smiling.

"Agreed," he chuckled.

"Hey Nate!" Mark called. He held his arms out. "Want a hug?" Nate narrowed his eyes and grinned.

"I think I'll just leave all the hugs to Jack."

"I don't want to hug him!" Jack said. Mark crossed his arms and huffed.

"Maybe you shouldn't go spilling syrup on people!" Jack rolled his eyes and gave Mark a little shake.

"Whatever. Let's get you cleaned up." Felix sighed as Jack took Mark to the bathroom.

"Those two are something," he murmured. He looked at Nate and Mat and sighed. He pushed his plate away and got up to wash it.

"So how's the research going?" He called as he cleaned the table.

"Good." Mat typed something and clicked. "I think we're onto something," he added. Nate climbed on the keyboard and pointed at the screen. Mat nodded and moved the mouse. Felix shrugged.

"Ok. Good luck then, I-I guess." He entered the living room and grabbed the tv remote.

"... and this morning's forecast for the day is another great chance of rain, little sunshine," the newswoman announced. Felix flopped on the couch. "Now, Jim, what do we have interesting today?"

"Well the hunt for the strange creatures is still on," Jim started, "We still don't know much about the creature Jack McLoughlin pulled from the Crowl Fight, but people have gone crazy over it!" Felix blanched as footage played from the Crowl Fight.

"Oh god no..." he groaned. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" Jack walked in wiping his hands on a clean towel. "What's up?" Felix gestured to the tv.

"What do scientists have to say about this incident?" The woman asked.

"Well we're not sure about much, but whatever it is the EyeNet star Jacksepticeye has certainly taken a liking to it. Maybe it's some kind of rare animal, or perhaps it's an undiscovered species? Either way, researchers and journalists alike are trying to get to the bottom of this mystery, and we hope Jack will soon give us a good explanation." It then played Jack's argument against Mark's kidnappers.

Jack looked at it for a few seconds before scowling. "Are you serious?" He burst. "Why are people so desperate for answers? Can't they see Mark looks just like us?"

"Well I think your recognition in publicity has gone way up," Felix grunted. Jack covered his eyes and groaned.

"God..." He growled. "If only I hadn't gone to that meeting and let Mark get kidnapped. None of this would have happened!"

"It wasn't your fault," Felix pointed out. "If you hadn't gone then you wouldn't have found out about Septic Robotics and Mark's people." Jack sighed and pushed his bangs out of his eyes.

"You're right," he mumbled. He shook his head. "I just hope we find them and get Mark and Nate and the others home before it's too late..."

"Why don't we record something?" Felix suggested. "Playing a video game might take your mind off things." Jack nodded.

"True."

"I'll get us set up." Felix got up quickly and left before Jack could say anything. The green haired giant smiled; he started to follow Felix when the doorbell suddenly rang. He groaned.

"I'll get that." Jack walked to the door and opened it.

"Jack McLoughlin?" A young girl with glasses and a notebook was standing on the porch. Jack blinked.

"Um... yes?" But the girl didn't wait for his response.

"I knew it!" She gasped. "It is you! I've looked everywhere and I finally found you!"

"... uumm..."

"I-I just wanted to ask you a few questions, sorry." The girl opened her notebook. "It'll be brief! I-"

"Um, kid." Jack tried to stop her. "You're not suppose to-"

"First thing!" She continued cheerfully. "When you intervened at the Crowl Fight, what was the pet that you saved called? What kind of animal is it? And can I see it please?"

"Excuse me!" Jack felt relief flood him as Mat pulled him away from the door. "Hi, sorry ma'am," he said, "But I'm afraid Jack doesn't have the time right now to be taking any questions. And you're kind of on private property without permission." The girl gasped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Sorry mister." She flashed a smile at Jack and waved bye before running off.

"... that was fucking terrifying," Jack sighed. "How the hell did she even find my house?"

"Don't know." Mat watched the girl zoom off on hoverskates. "But you're not suppose to answer the door unless you know who it is." Jack sighed. Once again, someone other than him was right.

"Got it. I'm just really tired."

"Jaaaack!" Jack turned and saw Mark's tiny head peeking out of the bathroom.

"You done?" He asked the engineer. Mark nodded. "Ok. Um..." Jack messed with his hair. "I promised Felix I'd record with him, so you're clothes are up on the counter, drying."

"Ok."

"Don't climb up for them," Jack quickly added, "Mat will get them for you when they're done, right Mat?"

"Sure thing," Mat murmured, distracted.

"I'll be ok," Mark urged. "Go have fun with Felix."

"All right." Jack didn't move. "Just be careful," he finally said.

"Jack, Jack, Jack," Mark sighed.

"Yeah?" The giant quirked his eyebrow. "That's my name; don't wear it out." Mark giggled.

"I was managing ok on my own, before you found me," he pointed out. Then he dipped his head. "Well, minus the Carar Virus," he admitted. Jack chuckled.

"True. Just get some rest dude." Mark watched Jack go, and then he looked up at the counter. He sighed and adjusted his towel.

"Hey, Mat?"

"Yeah?" Came a reply. Mark walked out of the bathroom.

"Can I have my pants now?" He asked. Nate snickered.

"Oh! Yeah, sure." Mat put the laptop and Nate down and got up. Mark stepped to the side and let Mat whisk into the bathroom.

"You all cleaned up now?" Nate called.

"Yeah."

"That's good." Nate grinned. "I guess Jack's a messy eater." Mark laughed.

"Yeah." Mat walked out patting a towel.

"Here you go, Mark." He crouched down and opened the towel.

"Thanks." Mark grabbed his bottoms and went back in the bathroom to get dressed. The hot water had helped him feel better, but Mark was still sore all over, and it hurt to move now that he was giving his body a chance to catch up.

"Ow," he groaned. _I guess I'm gonna have to take a nap._ He left Nate and Mat to their own devices and headed for Jack's room.

 

 

 

 

**Something wasn't right.**

**Mark didn't recall opening his eyes, but he found himself looking at a glass wall. Everything was red, and the man realized with a jolt of fear that he was in some kind of tank filled with a red liquid. He was floating in it, connected to a bunch of wires, but he couldn't move. Mark looked around as a light suddenly turned on, and he looked. Voices penetrated the glass, and Mark realized that someone was coming. He quickly closed his eyes as two dark figures walked in.**

**"Are you sure he can't hear us?" A man with a weird lisp asked.**

**"Yes," the second murmured. "He cannot hear." Something about that second man's voice sent a chill down Mark's spine. It made him feel cold, and empty.**

**The man with sigmatism sighed. "Well I don't know about you, but just looking at that bastard has got me shook."**

**"Easy," the other hushed. "He can't do anything. He is powerless now, Will. It's _our_ turn."   
**

**"Will" sniffed. "I'm not scared," he muttered. And then he hummed thoughtfully. "What about the fellow with the blindfold? He's got the kahonies to stand up to you."**

**"He's not a problem." Someone tapped the glass, making Mark's heart squeeze with fear. "Everything is taken care of," the man continued. A lapse of silence filled the conversation. Mark slowly opened his eyes. He couldn't see who they were; their backs were turned to him.**

**"Shit." The second man walked over to a control panel and tapped one of the lights. "He's fighting back again." Will sighed.**

**"How much longer can we hold him?" He asked. The other pounded the light and pulled a lever.**

**"We should regulate more often," he said smoothly. Mark suddenly started feeling sleepy. "We should take turns. Wilford, will you take the first watch? If this light starts shining again, just pull this lever. It will keep him sedated."**

**"Yes sirree." Mark couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He closed them for a few seconds, but when he opened them everything changed. He was in a forest. His legs were moving mechanically, and his arms swung as he ran. But Mark couldn't feel it. He wasn't out of breath, but he felt suffocated.  
**

**"Mark!" Mark's head swung in the direction of that familiar Irish voice.**

**"Jack?" He called.**

**"Mark!" Jack sounded scared.**

**"Jack!" Mark jumped over a log and ran in his direction. "I'm coming Jack!"**

**"It's too late," a voice whispered. "Too late..." Mark's head was spinning. _What's going on!?_ He felt sick. Then the ground suddenly vanished out from under him. Mark screamed and flailed. The air whooshed around him, and a body of water rose to meet him.**

As soon as he plummeted into the water and landed with a splash, Mark woke up. He kicked up and burst out of the water, coughing as his heart thrashed in his breast.

"Told you that would wake him up," Felix grunted. Mark looked up. All three giants were looking down at him with worry. Nate climbed on the edge of the bowl and offered his hand to Mark.

"Wh-what...?" Mark coughed and paddled to Nate. Together they climbed out and jumped on to the counter. "What happened?" He asked. "Why did you drop me in water!" Jack pushed the bowl away and offered Mark a towel.

"You were sleepwalking." Mark wrapped himself in a corner of the towel and looked up at Jack with wide eyes.

"Sleepwalking?" He echoed.

"And crying," Nate added. "You were calling out for Jack." Mark shook his head.

"I-I don't- I don't remember," he stammered. "I've never sleepwalked before, how-how is that possible?" Jack bit his lower lip.

"I think it's just stress," he said quickly. _A little too quickly,_ Mark noted. Something in his tone made Mark think Jack knew something...

"You just need to relax." Mat put his hand on the counter, next to the two humans. "I know it's stressful to not be able to do anything for your friends, but Nate and I are doing everything we can," he promised.

"uh huh," Mark mumbled. He shivered and hugged the towel, remembering that he still didn't have a shirt.

"Here." Nate pulled his jacket off and threw it to Mark. Mark gave him a grateful look and put it on.

"What about you?" Under the scuffed black-leather jacket, Nate was wearing a simple black button-down shirt with double-breasted pockets.

"I'll be all right." Nate shrugged. "You need it more than I do." Jack reached down and picked Mark and his towel up.

"Let's get you back into bed," he said as he carried the engineer away. Mark frowned.

 _Why would I be sleepwalking at a time like this?_ He didn't want anymore sleep. He wanted answers.

 


	27. Fight For Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit's about to go down.

**A/N:  Yo! It's your boi the author here! I actually have a quick question: Would you dudes want a "special edition" thing for Nate in The Space Voyage? It wouldn't be as long as the norm, but a lot of people have actually been asking me for more of Nate- especially P!NatePat. So I though, why not put it up to you peeps and leave the question to you guys, in a poll? The poll will be here:**

**https://strawpoll.com/k1sc454a**

**Answer soon, please!**

 

 

 

 

As Jack walked into his room, Mark pushed on his fingers.

"I don't want to sleep!" Mark shuddered as he tried to recall his dream, but his mind drew a blank. _Why can't I remember what I dreamed?_

"You're exhausted, look at yerself!" Jack insisted. "You look like you're about to collapse." Mark tried closing his eyes to get rid of that dry watery sensation of feeling tired, but it didn't go away. Jack sighed and sat on the bed. "What's wrong?" Mark opened his eyes.

"Hmm?" Mark yawned. "What do you mean?" The giant's eyes narrowed.

"Don't play innocent Mark, I know you've been having nightmares." Mark's stomach dropped.

"... oh."

"I don't know what they're about, but you keep having these dreams," Jack continued, "You cry in your sleep and scream when I try to calm ya down." Mark felt a hot wave of shame wash over him. He looked away, but Jack leaned down to his eye level. "What's going on?" He asked. "What are your dreams about?" Mark bit his lip. He felt uncomfortably hot with embarrassment and shame, a bunch of negative emotions he wished he wasn't feeling.

"I-I..." Mark scratched his nape. "I dream that I'm running," he said simply. Jack's eyebrow raised.

"Running... from what?" Mark swallowed.

"U-umm..." Looking up to meet Jack's gaze, the engineer lost himself in those giant blue orbs, full of energy and genuine concern... "I dream that a giant's chasing me," he finished lamely. Jack cocked his head.

"Oh." He rubbed Mark's head. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone touch ya," he assured. "Ain't nobody gonna mess with my little buddy!" Mark smiled, but his chest still churned with emotion.

"That's good to hear," he murmured. He tried to change the topic with a yawn. "I'm really tired," he interposed. Jack smiled.

"Ok." He tossed the towel on the bed post and leaned back. Before his head hit the pillows, he turned over on his back and then let Mark rest on his chest. Mark closed his eyes and felt the covers pull over him, and he smiled a little. _At least Jack doesn't think the dreams are about him._ Mark felt bad about leading his friend astray like that, but it was for the best. He didn't know why these dreams plagued him, but he knew he could trust Jack. His body just needed time.

Mark didn't fall asleep immediately. He listened as the green haired giant's huge heartbeat slowed, and his breath evened out. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, making Mark sleepy. He yawned and relaxed, but there was still a small doubt nagging him from the back of his mind.

"Hey, Jack?"

"Hmm?" The sleepy surface under him rumbled. Mark opened his eyes.

"When you found my ship, you thought it was toy," he said quietly. "If you'd seen me before you realized I was from another planet, would you have treated me like a toy, or like those VR games...?" Jack didn't answer. Then he cupped his hand under Mark and sat up.

"Mark." He held the half-asleep man up to his eyes. "Those are just games. They're not real." His point only shook Mark.

"But I-I'm real though," he stuttered. "So is my ship, and Karen, and my crew members..." Jack looked confused- hurt, even.

"Mark, I would never hurt you," he murmured. "Or your friends!"

"I-I know..." Mark hung his head, and Jack continued.

"I know those dreams have got you shook and all, but I would never turn around and fuck you over." He rubbed Mark's back, but the engineer stiffened. Jack respected his personal space and let his hand drop. "They're just dreams. I know it _could_ happen, and a giant could hurt you if they wanted to... but I'm not going to let that happen." He tilted his hand and cupped Mark to his chest. Mark sighed and snuggled the giant.

"Thanks Jack." Jack nodded and hugged the human with both hands.

"I got yer back, little duder. You don't need to worry." Mark closed his eyes and sighed. _I wish that were true..._

Mark eventually fell asleep, but Jack didn't. He lay still in bed, listening to the noises in the house. Mat was talking to Nate, but he couldn't hear what about, and Felix was in the kitchen doing something. And then there was Mark. For now, he was sound asleep, bundled up under the covers and sleeping in Jack's breast pocket like it's a sleeping bag.

Jack slowly inhaled and let out a quiet sigh. _I'm worried about Mark. First bad dreams, and now sleepwalking?_ He wondered if Mark was suffering PTSD. It was an easy answer, but it felt too obvious. He'd be having panic attacks or something, wouldn't he?

Rain started pattering on the house. Jack picked his head up and looked at the window. _Wow, it's coming down hard._ He put his cheek on the pillow and sighed, itching to move. But he didn't want to wake Mark up.

"Jack!" Jack flinched and sat up as Mat burst in his room.

"Mat!" He hissed. He covered his pocket with his hand and whispered, "He finally fell asleep. What is it?"

"Oh, sorry." Mat still looked excited. "I think I know where we can find his crew!" Jack widened his eyes.

"That-that's great!" Jack looked down at Mark, and then his smile fell. "I don't want Mark to worry though. He needs rest, and..." Jack trailed off, and his eyes grew wide again.

"We could leave him and Nate here." Mat was having the exact same thought. "That way they won't get caught, and we'll be back before Mark knows it." Jack thought about it. He nodded and carefully took Mark out of his pocket.

"Ok," he murmured. He looked at the sleeping engineer and gently hugged him. "Don't worry, Mark," he whispered. Mark frowned in his sleep and stirred. Jack got out of bed and lay Mark on the pillow, tucking him in. "We'll be back with your friends before you know it. I promise."

 

 

 

 

Mark was still half asleep when someone had started shaking him.

"Mark, wake up!" Nate hissed. Mark frowned and blinked.

"Hmm?" He yawned and rolled over. "Nate..." he groaned, "What are you doing?" He ached to go back to sleep. He pressed his hands on the surface below him, but he didn't feel any warmth seeping from it. Confused, Mark opened his eyes again as Nate persisted.

"Mark!" He yelled in his ear. Mark recoiled and sat up.

"Fine, fine! I'm awake." He yawned and rubbed his eyes, then looked around. "Where's Jack?" He noticed with a skip in his heartbeat that he was sitting on a pillow instead of the giant's chest.

"That's what I came and woke you up for." Nate helped Mark up. "They're gone." Mark's head spun in confusion.

"Who's gone?" He yawned. Nate shook him by the shoulders.

"Jack, damn it! And Mat!" He barked. Mark blinked and covered his eyes with a low moan.

"Great. Where'd they go...?" Nate sighed.

"They left without us to recover the others." Mark gave Nate a blank stare. "... The other Aurora survivors?" Nate prompted. Mark's eyes grew wide.

"Wh-what!?" Nate nodded. Mark put his hands on his head and exclaimed, "What!? Why?"

"Mat said it was for our safety." Nate's eyes darkened. "I tried to go after them, but Mat stopped me." He didn't look happy with the bright giant. Mark could see why Mat and Jack left without them, but it didn't feel right for him. It was their mission, their duty, to save those poor people!

"We have to go after them!" Mark declared. Nate nodded.

"But there's one small problem." He put his finger up, stopping Mark. "Felix is in the living room." Mark frowned.

"Fuck." He sighed and tried to think. "So what do we do?" Nate grinned a little.

"Have you ever felt like wrangling a giant?"

 

 

 

 

Signe wasn't scared. She was terrified. From the moment they crash-landed, everything was chaotic. Signe remembered everything in a blurry vision; she remembered the screams, the smoke, and the giants.

When Signe had crashed, she was knocked out, and when she woke up, others had pulled her out and bandaged her cuts. There was a woman, a doctor named Amy, who stayed by Signe and took care of her. Amy herself wasn't too badly hurt, but when she walked she had a limp that she tried to hide. Everyone else wasn't so lucky. When all the survivors regrouped, no one had escaped damage. A girl called Katheryn had some rough bruises and a nasty cut on her arm. A blue haired man, Ethan, was ok, but his friend Tyler wasn't as lucky. Tyler was knocked out cold. He had taken a nasty hit to the head, and even now he was still lying unconscious.

And then the captain was dead, from what Signe heard. But there was another survivor. Amy told her his name was Jordan. And from what Signe had gathered, Amy was worried for him, and not just because he was really badly hurt. She was looking for someone. Someone important.

Now, Signe was in the corner of a cold, metal cage. Hugging her knees, she watched as Amy paced around again, a frown carved on her countenance. Ethan was keeping an eye on his poor friend, Jordan was being taken care of by one of the other survivors, who Signe didn't know, and Katheryn was scowling at Amy.

"Stop pacing please?" She suddenly said. "It's making me feel sick, just calm down." Amy stopped and turned on Katheryn.

"How can I calm down?" She exclaimed. "We're on an alien planet, prisoners, and we have to get out of here!"

"We need to keep calm so we can get out!" Katheryn pointed out. "You're the only one who knows how to heal. If something happens to you, then we're screwed." Signe put her head on her knees, she wished she could shut out their argument as they quarreled for the umpteenth time.

"I'm fine!" Amy shook her hands. "We need to get out, find Mark, and go home!" _Mark?_ Signe sat up. She remembered Amy talking about him before; apparently, they were a couple, and he was on the Aurora too. But, when the Aurora failed, he went missing. _I wonder what happened to him?_ Signe thought sadly. _Poor Amy, she doesn't know if he's still alive or not._

"Amy, we don't know if Mark made it," Katheryn tried to say. But Amy lost her temper.

"He's fine!" She yelled. "He's out there somewhere, looking for us, I know it!" She stormed away and stood at the empty end of the cage. Signe watched her. She didn't know what Amy was going through, but she could imagine it feels awful.

"Leave her alone, Katheryn." Ethan looked up at her. "She's suffering. We all are." Katheryn sighed.

"I know, I'm just trying to keep her head on." She looked at the other survivor. "How is he?" The girl looked up.

"He needs medicine," she murmured. She was right, Jordan was not looking good. Ethan looked around the cage nervously.

"Do you think _they_ would help?" He asked quietly. Katheryn scoffed.

"I wouldn't- no, don't count on it. They don't care about us, they only care about _what_ we are."

"Amy's tried her best," Signe said quietly. Ethan nodded.

"No matter how good or skilled a doctor is, they can only do so much without equipment, and medicine." He looked at Tyler. "They need help." Signe wringed her hands. They needed to get out of here!

Light flooded the room, and they all froze. Signe felt her heart race quicker as a shadow covered the cage. She looked up as the giant crouched down and looked at them.

"How are we all doing?" He smiled, but it wasn't friendly; it gave Signe a chill. "We ready to start talking yet?" He asked. Amy walked in front of the survivors and glared through the bars. Signe noticed her legs were shaking.

"Are you ready to let us out?" She said. The giant chuckled.

"Can't." He grabbed the cage and rocked it, making everyone struggle to stay on their feet. "You curious little critters will be out soon enough, though."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Ethan stammered, eyes wide.

"After you bit an employee," the man said, looking at Amy, "We're going to move you to a more secure facility. There, we can find out what the hell ye are, since none of you want to squeak." Amy quivered.

"That's not fair!" Ethan wailed. "We're people too, you can't do this!" But his cry fell on deaf ears. The giant stood up and made to leave.

"Wait!" The giant stopped, and along with everyone else they looked to see Signe getting up. "I-I..." She shook, frightened. The giant crouched down and smiled at her.

"Yes?" He asked sweetly. Signe took a few rapid breaths.

"I... I want to wash," she blurted. "If you're going to put us somewhere high-tight security, then I at least want to look good." Signe ignored her cellmates' disbelieving looks as she flipped her hair. "Look at me, I'm not presentable!" She was praying that her idea would work. But, on the inside, she wanted to wilt and curl up in a ball. "Couldn't I at least wash up? A girl has to look pretty." The giant beamed.

"I'll see what I can do." He got up and left the room. As soon as the door shut, Signe shivered.

"What was that about?" Katheryn asked. Ethan's eyes were wide.

"Never in this whole time have I heard you complain about being dirty. You're going to try to escape, aren't you!" He whispered. Amy shushed him.

"Don't ruin it for her! This is our only chance." She turned to Signe. "Signe, please." Amy walked up and grabbed her hands. "If you make it out, please bring help, and find Mark," she begged. Her eyes shimmered with misery. "I'd rather know if he's dead or not then wonder and never know what happened to him. Please," she urged. "Please find him." Signe, taken back, nodded. She was swept away by the burning intensity of love in the woman's eyes.

"I'll-I'll do what I can."

 

 

 

 

"Felix!" Mark burst into the room. Felix, startled, looked up from his laptop.

"Mark?" He pulled his earpiece out. Mark could hear dubstep blaring from it as Felix put it down. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"It-it's Nate!" Mark stammered. "H-he's not doing ok, I-I tried to save him, but-"

"Whoa, whoa, Mark." Felix got off the bed and walked over to the small spaceman. "Slow down Mark, what about Nate?"

"Just come quick, he's in Jack's room!" Mark turned and ran as fast as he could. He heard Felix grunt in confusion and hesitantly follow. _Good, he bought it._ Mark felt a prickle of guilt for leading Felix away like this, but they had to get him out of the living room. Felix outpaced Mark and walked into Jack's room.

"Nate?" Mark heard Felix call. Mark stopped and looked up. Balancing on the top of the door frame was Nate, who was waiting for Mark's signal.

"Now!!" Nate jumped. Mark watched him fall, and then the string wrapped around his waist pulled him, and he swung away before swinging toward the door. Mark too ran at it, and together they managed to successfully push the door shut. The lock clicked as the door closed, and the improvised pulley system the two men had made pulled a chair over on its side to block the door.

"What the fuck?" Nate untied his string and quickly climbed down as Felix tried to open the door. The handle jiggled as Mark and Nate started running. "Mark what the fuck did you do?" Felix exclaimed. "Guys!?"

"I'm sorry, Felix!" Mark yelled over his shoulder. "I'll explain later!" They ran across the living room as Felix fumbled with the lock. He clumsily pushed the door, hampered by the chair.

"Oh fuck me!" Felix shouted.

"I think he figured it out," Nate panted.

"Just keep running!" Mark gasped. Felix pushed the door open and pushed the chair away, and he quickly ran into the living room to see Mark and Nate bolting for the front door.

"No, wait!" Mark stumbled. He could feel the shakes of the giant's footsteps pounding in the ground. Panic rose up in him as fear pounded his heart. _Felix is a friend,_ Mark tried to remind himself. _He's a good guy, he just doesn't understand how important this is!_

They were just a few meters away when Felix jumped over them and blocked the door. "Stop!" Nate came to a bad stop and fell over, and Mark tripped over him. "I know what's going on here!" Felix's eyes were wide. "But you're not going anywhere!" Mark sat up. They were all breathing heavily from the race. He studied Felix while trying to even his breathing. The giant's upper lip was perked up, his eyebrows too, and his bright blue eyes glittered. Mark blinked.

"You're scared," he murmured. Nate gave him a look. Felix blinked. Mark stood. "You're not keeping us prisoner, right? You're trying to look out for us," he asked. Felix didn't say anything.

"Really Mark? I don't think you can sweet talk your way out of this," Nate muttered. "I don't know why I thought outrunning a giant would work, anyway."

"No... he's right," Felix admitted. He sighed and sank to his knees. "Jack told me to keep you guys in the house. He wanted you guys to stay safe until he and Mat came back." The conversation lapsed, the only sound coming from the tv noisily broadcasting.

"I appreciate your concern," Mark finally said. He shook his head and looked up at Felix with sad brown eyes. "But we have to go. It's not right for Jack to have to do everything for me, and it's not fair to Mat either. We should be helping!" Felix furrowed his brow.

"I don't know..."

"When I came to this world," Nate suddenly murmured, "I was so lost. I was starving, confused, aimlessly wandering around in a huge forest. And then some douche bag caught me, and he tossed me into that cage at the Crowl Arena. Mat volunteered to be my caretaker, and he saved me. He took good care of me, and he treated me like a friend instead of an animal." Nate took a deep inhale and looked up at Felix. "He's doing the same again for the others, which is great, but I think it's about fucking time I repaid the favor and helped him." Felix was awfully quiet. Mark watched him hopefully; he was painfully aware that the clock was ticking, they were running out of time.

"Ok," Felix mumbled. Mark's eyes widened, relieved. "But," the giant added, fixing the two tiny humans with a stern look, "I'm coming with you."

"But Felix!" Mark gasped. "No, you can't! You shouldn't!"

"Oh, really?" Felix raised his eyebrow. "How did you two plan to get there in time? Teleport?"

"Actually, we were going to borrow your hover board for a-" Mark quickly blocked Nate's mutter.

"We're not sure," he said. "But what's important is that we get our team back." Felix nodded.

"I'm all on board." He put his hand face up on the ground and grinned. "I guess we better get going, then."

 


	28. The Laboratory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mat and Jack make their way into the facility, but along the way Jack potentially makes a new friend.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Jack jumped off his hoverboard and looked up at the building. It was massive, even for a giant.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Mat looked at his laptop. "Ninety percent sure," he added with a nervous laugh. Jack frowned.

"How are we gonna get in? This place is huge!"

"Well," Mat turned the screen to Jack. "According to these blueprints I borrowed- don't ask, there are windows here, here, and here." Jack pointed at a spot.

"What about the vents?" He asked.

"They're too small for us to fit in." Mat closed the laptop. "And this isn't your average spy movie, Jack," Mat said with a nervous smile. Jack nodded.

"We'll be ok." He sighed. "So let's just get in the lowest window, how about that?" As he said it, Mat winced. "What?" He asked. "What's wrong with that window?"

"It is a good way in," Mat agreed. "But you're forgetting something. We went through the forest, through town, and past the lake at the Aurora's crash site. We're at the base of a mountain pass."

"... oh fuck." Jack pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Is it facing the cliffside?"

"It's part of the cliffside." Jack groaned.

"Can we go up any other window, or are they placed in douchey spots too?"

"Afraid not." Mat closed the laptop. "We're going to have to climb our way in, if we want to avoid security."

Jack groaned.

 

 

 

 

Signe looked up when the giant opened the door and walked in. "Good news, little one." He unlocked the cage door and opened it. "I made arrangements for you to clean yourself up." He smiled at her and put his hand in, reaching for her. Signe shied away, and Amy suddenly pushed her body in front of her.

"Hey!" She yelled. "You can't just stick your grubby hands in and pick us up like we're toys!"

"A-Amy..." Signe stammered. "It's ok."

"Really?" The man's eyebrow raised. He looked at the small folk with an amused grin. "How should I pick you up then?" Signe gently pushed Amy.

"Amy, I'll be fine," she murmured. Before she could change her mind, Signe walked closer to the man's huge hand. She didn't look at the giant as she climbed in his hand. His fingers twitched at her light weight, making Signe stumble and grab on to his thumb as he pulled her out of the cage. Then, without another word, he locked the cage and turned away with the young girl.

Signe tried not to look down at the ground far beneath her. Instead, she tried to distract herself with the man's hand. Each ridge in his skin was so obvious, and she could trace his fingerprint with her own hand. This, however, resulted in spasmodic twitching from the ticklish feeling, so Signe quickly stopped and just sat in his hand, wondering how she was going to escape. But she kept getting distracted. She was a research assistant, it was in her nature to wonder. The giant's stride swayed so much; his hand pulsed with warmth, but his fingers were cold from bad circulation; every second in the giant's hand made Signe more and more uneasy.

Finally, the giant turned to a door and unlocked it. He entered a cold metal laboratory and walked to the table in the middle. There was a bowl of warm water on a towel with a tissue for Signe.

"Anything else you need, sweetheart?" The giant murmured. Signe climbed off his hand and stifled a gasp; it was so cold!

"A little privacy, please," she said meekly. The giant frowned. Signe crossed her arms and glared. "I'm a girl, I need privacy, all right?" She snapped. That persuaded the man.

"All right, all right." He put his hands up and turned away. "I won't go too far though; let me know if you need anything." Signe waited until he left the room before she undressed and stepped in the water. She shivered and rubbed her skin, getting the dirt off her pale skin. As she bathed though, she let her eyes wander around the room. How am I going to get out? She wondered. Signe wasn't sure what her plan was, but there had to be some way out of here.

When she was done washing and stepped out, she noticed the vent. Of course! Signe covered herself with the tissue and examined the vent. It was on the counter, and the grate was big enough for her to slip through. Signe looked at the door. The man's shadow was still outside, she could see his soles through the space under the door. She needed to act quickly.

Signe grabbed a paperclip left behind on the table and fastened it on the tissue. With her makeshift dress now together, she grabbed her bag and stuffed her clothes in it, and as fast as she could she ran across the table. She launched her body off the edge and rolled on the counter. As she got up, the man knocked on the door.

"Are you done yet, little one?" He asked.

"No!" Signe sharply inhaled. "No," she called again, trying to stay calm. "I'm not done with my hair yet."

"Ok. Just hurry up, alright? I got to get you back to yer cage."

"Y-yes sir." Signe turned and ran to the vent. She peered into it, and then she slipped through the bars. Her bare feet felt cold as she left the light, and she shuddered. Her wet skin was freezing already as she left the lab behind. She descended into darkness, and all she could feel was the cold metal walls and her soft footsteps. She took a breath and looked over her shoulder, wondering how long she had.

An alarm suddenly blared in her ears, slamming against the metal walls. Signe froze, and then she hurried. I guess that answers my question.

 

 

 

 

Jack thought they were pretty careful. After he gained enough courage to climb in the window, he and Mat had agreed to split up and begin the search. Mat had the east wing, and Jack had taken the west. They separated going quietly into different hallways, and Jack was glad that there wasn't very much security around.

"Hello?" Jack poked his head in a room and whispered, "Little duders?" But it was just a janitors' closet. He groaned and closed the door. How the hell are we going to find them? He looked down the hall and headed to the next door. It led into a cafeteria. "Huh."

Before he could open it, red lights flashed on as an alarm blared. Jack jumped. Shit! He looked around, wondering what was happening. I hope Mat didn't fuck up! He looked down the next hallway and noticed some men run past. He pulled back and hid behind the wall, waiting until their steps faded to the alarm. As he strained his hearing, he heard metal groan. Jack looked down and gasped.

Signe finally found her way to another vent and ran to it. She squeezed through the bars, but one of them was so old that it broke under her weight. With a groan, it toppled and brought her to the floor with a hearty thunk. Signe groaned and covered her ears. The alarm was so loud. As she got up, she noticed a shoe next to her. She froze. She gripped the tissue tightly as she took a step back, seeing that a leg in black skinny jeans was attached to the shoe. Signe quivered and hugged her bag. She slowly looked up, and she saw Jack staring straight down at her with wide blue eyes.

Signe was in a trance. She was terrified, but she couldn't move. Those baby blue eyes seemed to have frozen her; she couldn't work her legs and run. Jack blinked once, and then twice, as his brain processed what he was seeing.

"Little duder?" He whispered. Signe quivered and hid her face in her bag. Jack glanced around for security and slowly moved his foot away from the small figure. "Hey, it's ok." He slowly crouched down and put his weight on his toes. He put his hands on the ground to balance himself, but he kept his distance. "Did you escape?" He murmured over the alarm. Signe looked up at him. His eyes were so bright and blue... She tried to avoid his gaze and nodded her head. "I-it's ok." Jack moved his hand closer. "I'm here to help." Signe flinched, and Jack's hand stopped a few feet away. Jack bit his lip as he remembered Mark's first reaction. The engineer had stabbed his finger when he had gotten too close.

"Look, I know you don't trust me." Jack put his hand down. "But I'm here to get you guys outta here, so you and Mark can go home." Signe widened her eyes and looked at Jack. He knows Mark! Signe's hopes soared. Oh, Amy will be so glad!

"Is-is he ok?" Signe asked quietly, getting up.

"Yeah." Jack frowned. "How come you're wrapped in a tissue? Where's yer clothes?"

"O-oh..." Signe looked down at her bag and blushed. "I-I escaped. It-it was the only plan I had. I-"

"Come on, let's check this way!" Jack's eyes widened. He leaned and saw some men enter the corridor and headed his way. Jack looked at Signe.

Look, I know you don't trust me," he murmured urgently, "And it'd be way too much to ask of you, but I can't let them find you." He put his hands together and pushed them toward Signe. "Can I ask you to, though?" Signe looked at his hands. He was offering to protect her, to save her from this place and take her far away from it. But could she trust him?

As the footsteps came closer, Signe realized that she didn't have a choice. She had to trust Jack with her life. She ran and climbed into his hand, and no sooner had she sat down did he lift his hands up and stand. Signe whimpered and lay down to not fall off as Jack turned and hurried to the janitors' room. He used his elbow to get the door open and slipped into the dark closet, making sure with his foot that the door closed as quietly as possible.

Signe shivered as Jack held her close to his chest and waited. They both listened with dread as the guards came closer. Signe squeezed her eyes shut tight and braced herself. They came closer, and then closer. Then they stopped in the hallway. Signe flinched against Jack as a door slammed open, and then another as they hunted for her.

"Hey Damien, what about this one?" A man called right outside the closet.

"Don't bother." Footsteps came. "That's the janitors' closet. Eric always has it locked up before he goes home." Thank god he forgot! Jack thought. "Besides, I doubt it'd be in there. Come on."

"All right." The men went further down the hall, and then they turned and headed into another. Neither spoke. They listened to the footsteps receding, and then there was only the wailing siren. Jack sighed and broke the silence.

"Are you ok?" He whispered. Signe was shaking. He gently touched her back and rubbed. "It's ok. You can let go now, they're gone." Signe opened her eyes and realized with hot embarrassment that she was gripping Jack's shirt. She blushed and let go.

"S-sorry." Jack frowned and touched her head.

"Are you ok?" He repeated. "Yer shaking. And yer hair's wet. You feel cold." Signe shivered and realized he was right. "There's shelves here," Jack continued. "You wanna get behind something and change into your clothes? I doubt that tissue is keeping you very warm." Signe gripped her temporary towel more tightly. He was right.

"O-ok. Uh- oh." Signe was surprised when Jack lifted his hand up to a shelf, but she quickly regained her balance and crawled off. Jack picked her bag up and offered it to her with a ridiculous bow.

"Madame?" He said in a silly voice. Signe couldn't help but laugh as she took her bag.

"Thank you." She went behind some bottles of bleach and started changing. "So what's your name?" Signe called. "My name's Signe."

"Signe. That's a really pretty name." Signe blushed. "I'm Seán, but you can call me Jack if you want," Jack said.

"Well, thank you, Seán, for saving me." Signe buttoned up her shirt and shoved the tissue in her bag. She didn't want to risk leaving any traces of her presence.

"You're welcome." Signe came out from behind the stuff to see the back of Jack's head. She blinked. He even turned around to give me privacy?

"U-um." Signe turned red, and she was grateful for the dim lighting. "Y-you can turn around now." Jack turned in the small space and smiled when he saw her.

"That looks better." He nodded. Signe looked down at her clothes and laughed.

"I'm covered in dirt and blood."

"True. But it's better than a tissue," Jack pointed out. Signe nodded.

"You're right." Jack nodded back and offered his hand. Signe tossed her bag in his palm and climbed on. He held her up to his eyes, scanning her small frame, and he turned his head.

"I think the coast is clear," he breathed.

"Is it?" Signe listened. She could only hear the alarms and Jack's breathing.

"Maybe." He turned back to her. "Would you like me to go first and see?" He suggested. Signe's eyes widened.

"Y-you don't have to," she tried to protest.

"Of course I do!" Jack put her back on the shelf. "I'm putting you under my protection- not that you need me to protect you." There was a playful tone in his voice. Signe smiled and sighed.

"Fine."

"I'll be back before you can say woosh." He opened the door and slowly walked out. When the door shut behind him, Signe was suddenly gripped by wave of fear as she was alone in the dark. Even though the closet was out of proportion, claustrophobia creeped up on her, walls closing in dark and menacing.

I'm so high up, too. Signe closed her eyes and waited. What if I fall? Would he catch me in ime? His hands were very careful and steady, I need to believe that I can trust him. Just imagine he'll protect you, you'll be ok Signe... You'll be ok...After what felt like forever, the door finally opened, and a warm sweet breath stirred her hair.

"Coast clear." Jack murmured. Signe opened her eyes and sighed.

"Whoosh," she murmured. Relief swept over her as she got in Jack's hand and leaned against his chest.

"See?" Jack smiled and cupped her against his heart. "I told you: Back before you can say woosh."


	29. Fight or Flight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Nate make their way into the facility, while the rest of the team tries to hang in there and hold on to hope.

"Wow." Nate was looking up at the gargantuan building with wide eyes. "It's a lot bigger than I thought," he muttered. Felix stopped the hoverboard and hopped off.

"It's fucking huge," he agreed. Nate looked over at Mark.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He murmured in his ear. "I know what I said before, but maybe they already have the survivors and are heading out as we speak. And you are still pretty badly hurt, it's a miracle that you could run earlier when-"

"No," Mark snapped. He sighed and gave the young man an apologetic look. "We have to help," he said quietly. "We've already asked so much of them to shelter us. And besides," he added louder, "I think you should stay here, Felix."

"What!?"

"We appreciate you getting us here. But we have to go in alone."

"He's right," Nate agreed. "If we go in by ourselves, you won't be at risk. We can sneak in, find Mat, Jack, and the Aurora survivors, and get out without tripping any alarms." Felix tried to protest.

"But-"

"Felix." Mark put his hand on the giant's neck. "Think about Marzia," he urged. He felt Felix tense. "What would she think if you got arrested?" Felix was quiet. "You can be our get-away driver, but you need to consider her too," Mark continued. Felix sighed and nodded.

"You're right," he conceded. Mark pat Felix's shoulder and shivered as a cool wind blew. Felix tugged on his sleeves and muttered something about a jacket. Winter is coming.

"We won't be gone for very long, right Nate?" Mark looked over at his partner in crime. The young man was scoping out the facility.

"How will we ever find them?" He murmured. He looked daunted by the monstrous size of the building.

"We'll do our best," Mark said firmly. "That's all we can ever do."

"Hang on, what about you?" Felix suddenly said. "You're still suffering from a direct full on Rakovad's attack, not to mention all the other bullshit that's been going on."

"I'll be fine," Mark dismissed. "And baby steps, guys. Let's just save the survivors, and then we can worry about things like Billy." Saying his name sent a shiver down Mark's spine, but he didn't let it shake him up. He had a job to do.

"Right." Felix collected the two humans in his hands and got off his hoverboard. He pushed the board into a bush before looking around for a window of opportunity. "They're all closed." He walked up to one and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Shit," he hissed.

"Nate? Got any ideas?" Mark watched Nate. He was concentrating with his eyes closed, thinking. Then he suddenly opened them.

"The vents." Mark's eyes got round. "Mark, we can use the vents!" Nate grinned at him. "They're just the right size for us, like a complex maze of hallways!"

"Look! There's one." Felix pointed. "Up there!" Just above his head was the metal slated frame of the covered vent entrance.

"How are we going to get up there!?" Nate groaned. "Jeez!"

"You can give us a lift, right Felix?" Mark craned his neck. "You're tall enough." Felix stood a little straighter and put his hand on his hip.

"Of course I am!" He harumphed. "You dare challenge my super-duper-awesome-height?"

"It's not the height I'm worried about," Nate muttered, "But the brains."

"Come on then!" Mark exclaimed, "Let's go!" Felix helped the two explorers be eye level with the vent, but Mark groaned when he realized they had another problem. "Those spaces are just a little too narrow for us," he called down. "And the metal looks sharp! I'm not sure if we're small enough..."

"We'll have to get the nails off," Felix said.

"But how? We can barely pick up a paper clip together!" Mark protested. Nate twitched.

"That's it!" He shoved Felix's thumb. "Do you have a paper clip?" He yelled. Felix frowned.

"Maybe. I'm not sure why though..." He held his hand against his chest as he pat his pockets. "Here." He procured in his hand a small paperclip and handed it to the two tiny men.

"Thanks." Nate grabbed one end and pushed the metal strands apart. Mark watched with puzzlement as the other reshaped the paper clip. "All right. Help me out with this." Together, they picked up the paper clip and stuck the protruding end into the first nail. Felix watched as they twisted and turned, and then the nail fell out and fell in the grass at his feet.

"It worked!" They moved from nail to nail and slowly unlocked the vent. Then Felix gripped the metal slits and yanked the cover off. Mark and Nate teetered from the force, but when they recovered their balance and looked, the yawning gap of the vent was wide open.

"Great teamwork gang!" Mark cheered. They climbed into the vent and looked down at Felix.

"You sure about this?" Felix asked. "I don't like the idea of me just sitting here twiddling my thumbs while you guys go and get caught or something."

"We'll be ok," Mark promised. Nate nodded.

"Okay." Felix sighed and stepped back. "Good luck. Don't die." Mark grinned.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He turned around and peered down the long, dark, silver hall.

"You ready to die?" Nate peered down the vent as well. Mark nodded.

"For glory?"

"For glory," Nate agreed. Together, the two humans entered the dark maw of the labyrinth.

 

 

 

 

Walking no further than thirty feet, Mark had to take his flashlight out. Nate stuck close to Mark as he looked around and shined the light on the floor ahead of them.

"How come you don't have your flashlight?" Mark asked to pass the time. His voice echoed off the walls, making then both jump in fright.

"Oh, I lost it," Nate answered more quietly. Mark bared his teeth in a nervous grin as he shined the light around some more.

"How?" Nate shrugged.

"Things happen." Mark suddenly stopped, and Nate bumped into his back. "Careful." Mark pointed the light down on the ground in front of them. Only the beam of light went past the floor, penetrating a gaping void in front of them.

"Whoa, crap." Nate strained to see over Mark's shoulder. "Is there any way around that?"

"Let me see..." Mark walked to the edge and peered down. The flashlight just barely shined on the bottom, but neat, vertical black lines crossed the floor. "There's a grate," Mark said out loud. He looked at the edges of the hole and saw a very narrow ledge encompassing it. "You think we can cross those?" He nodded, and Nate followed his eyes.

"Maybe." He walked over and tested the ledge. "If we're careful, I think so," Nate said.

"I'll go first, since it was my idea." Mark headed over to him. Nate tried to protest, but Mark added, "If an injured moron like me can make it across, then that means it'll be safe." Nate sighed and stepped back.

"There's no stopping you, is there?"

"No." Mark chuckled and carefully put his foot on the metal trimming. The metal was cold and lonely, dusty and neglected. Mark resisted the urge to sneeze as he took it one step at a time, balancing across until he was almost on the other side. "It feels okay," Mark called over his shoulder.

"Ok, I'm coming up behind you." Nate was more sure-footed than Mark and his sore, battered body. Mark was just a few feet away from the other side when the world suddenly exploded with noise. They both started in shock as the sound howled in the vents. Mark fell over on his side; eyes were squeezed shut and his hands pressed over his ears when he heard Nate scream over the blaring alarm. Mark's shot open, and he turned just in time to see Nate vanish in the swirling darkness of the pit.

"NATE!!" Mark screamed. He sat up and leaned over the edge. "NATE!?!" He couldn't hear an answer. His head started to pound as he tried to find Nate with his flashlight. He saw Nate and gasped. "Nate!" He yelled over the blaring. His leg doesn't look right. He saw Nate stir and open his eyes. "Nate!" Mark waved. "Are you ok?" He hollered over the alarm. Nate groaned.

"My leg..." Mark could barely hear him. The noise was deafening. He tried to cover his ears with Nate's jacket.

"Just sit tight. I'll get you out of there!"

"How?" Nate struggled to sit up and groaned again. "There's nothing for any rope to hang on to, and my leg's dislocated. And then what? I can't run with you if my leg's fucked up!"

"But-" Nate dismissed Mark's protests with a drowsy wave of his hand.

"Just go without me! I'll be here when you come back with the others." Mark was torn. There was no way in hell he wanted to leave Nate here, but the boy had a point.

"Here!" Mark took his jacket off and threw it down to Nate. "You can have that back. You need it more than I do." Nate grinned, but his countenance still expressed pain.

"Thanks. Now get going!" Mark got up and forced his feet to move. 

"I promise I'll come back!" He yelled over his shoulder. His hands were still over his ears, and he couldn't hear Nate's reply. Forcing down a wave of worry, Mark trekked on into the darkness.

 _I feel bad about leaving Nate behind._  He knew it was a logical choice, but when did Mark Fischbach ever choose logic over people? He sighed and shook his head, trying to block his thoughts with the howling alarm. _I need to keep moving. For everybody's sake._ He kept walking through the metal halls, quite lost. He didn't know which way was right or left, North or South, even up or down at this point. Mark was just walking forward, and praying that he was going the right way.

 

 

 

 

Amy was sitting in the corner, watching Ethan as the blue-haired boy checked Tyler's temperature. "He's burning up," he muttered over the alarm; they all hoped that meant Signe had escaped. Amy bit her lip. She was really worried about the Danish girl. Signe wasn't back yet, which she hoped was a good sign, but there was no telling how much time they had left. Time was running out.

Beside her, Katheryn sighed. "He needs a doctor. A real one- no offense, Amy," she said.

"None taken." Ethan wringed his hands together and said nothing more. The woman beside him checked Jordan's wounds.

"He needs a hospital too," she murmured. Amy pulled on her hair, frustrated. She wished she knew more. She wished she could help. But then, the door to the room suddenly opened. They all looked up as the giant entered with someone behind him. Amy's eyes widened.

"Which one?" The new one asked. He was decently dressed, and even though his black silky hair was a mess he looked out of place beside the more ragged companion. The casual giant pointed.

"That one." He walked over and picked at the lock. He opened it and reached in the cage. Ethan squeaked in shock as he was pushed away, and so was the woman helping him. And then Amy realized, with horror, that the man had been pointing at Tyler as the dressed up giant picked up Tyler and Jordan.

"No!" Ethan threw himself against the man's hand, but the giant flicked him off and pulled his hand out. The cage door slammed shut, but Ethan still slammed against it. "Noo!" He wailed. "Give him back! Give him back!" Amy felt numb as she watched her friend and the man who could have told her about Mark both be taken away, and she could do nothing. Ethan fell to his knees and covered his eyes, sobbing and grieving for his close friend. Katheryn ran over and hugged him, trying to help the best she could. Amy felt her eyes grow misty as her vision suddenly danced with glassy tears. She sniffed and rubbed her eyes, desperate. _Will we ever see Tyler again?? How much longer until the rest of us are taken?_

"Amy." Amy opened her eyes and saw the short haired woman walking up to her. "You said you were looking for someone named Mark, right?" She asked. Amy's body went rigid.

"Yes?" Her voice came out a hushed whisper. The woman nodded.

"Before they took Jordan, I heard him muttering a few things: Mark; go without me, kiddo; good luck. Things like that." Amy felt more tears coming. She rubbed her eyes again, trying to compose herself.

"Does that- does that mean he's alive?" She asked. The woman shrugged.

"I'm not sure. But... I think so. If Jordan sent Mark to escape before he could do the same, then I think yes. I think your friend Mark is alive." Amy put her hands on her cheeks, gasping in a breath. Mark was alive. To hear someone else say it meant the world to her.

"Th-thank you." Amy smiled at the woman as more tears fell. "Th-thank you, um..."

"Cristina," the short haired girl said. "My name is Cristina Vee." Amy sniffed and offered her hand. Cristina shook it.

"Thank you, Cristina," she whispered. "That's all I needed to know."


	30. Simulation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go awry for Mark, but Jackaboyman comes to the rescue of the survivors.

Mark could hear voices. They echoed against the vent walls, catching his attention now that the alarm was finally turned off. He stopped and looked around, seeing some light and following it. The light was coming from a vent cover up ahead, and the room under him was the source. Mark crouched down and listened, catching the peoples' words.

"How much longer before they are ready to be moved?"

"As soon as we're ready of course, sir. The vans are ready, all we have to do is pack up and ship everything to Anistar."  _Pack up? They're moving?_  Mark drew a sharp breath.  _We're running out of time!_

"Good. I want you to go check on the specimen. I want everything to go smoothly, without interruptions!" Mark got up to follow them when the metal squeaked under his weight. He froze. "What was that?" Icy fear gripped Mark. He scrambled back as one of the men got up on a desk and pried the vent cover open. A hand reached into the vents and felt around. Holy shit! Mark was panicking as he backed away, but then he tripped and hit the metal floor.

As he tried to get back up, fingers suddenly preyed on him. They wrapped around him, and he yelped as he was pulled away from freedom and brought down into the light.

"Hey! It's one of the specimen!" The giant holding Mark looked at him curiously, ignoring his squirming. Mark hissed through his teeth; the gargantuan man was putting pressure on his injuries.

"No..." The other man studied Mark, and then his eyes widened. "That's the one Jack had."

"Jack's? The one in the Crowl Fight?" Mark was flipped upside down as the giant holding him looked closer. "It is!" He gasped. "How did it get here?"

"Maybe it ran away, to try to rescue the others." Anger boiled in Mark's veins.

"I'm not an it!" He snapped. "Unhand my friends, now! They're innocent, we've done nothing to your people!" They laughed.

"It's got a mouth on him!" The one holding him chuckled. "Just like that blonde one." All the blood in Mark's body drained. _Amy. It has to be!_

"Is she ok!?" When they didn't say anything, Mark desperately repeated himself. "Are they ok!?" He demanded, squirming.

"For now." The giant righted Mark and pinched his shirt, dangling him as he studied the human. "Hey, Damien, ya think we can use this one?" The other hummed thoughtfully.

"Perhaps."

"Use me for what!?" Mark challenged. "I need to talk to whoever is in charge!" Damien flickered dangerously.

"That would be me." He leaned closer to Mark, and Mark shivered. "And I would advise that you shut your trap," he growled, "You're our new experiment." Mark's eyes widened.

"Experiment!" He gasped. "No, we need to negotiate! We need to talk diplomatics!" The boss ignored him and looked up at the other giant. He nodded.

"Take him to the dream room." Mark flailed as his captor walked away.

"No! Wait!" He screamed. "WAIT!!"

 

 

 

 

Jack peeked around a corner, and then he entered the next hallway. "Any of this look familiar to ya?" He whispered. Signe shook her head.

"I'm trying to think." Jack stayed quiet as the Danish girl closed her eyes, frowning. Then she opened them. "That way!" She pointed. "I think it's just down that hall, I remember the door was silver."

"Ok." Jack quietly moved closer. "Just make sure yer hidden, in case someone sees me." Signe nodded and ducked back in to his pocket, letting the fabric walls close around her and press her against the giant's chest. Jack felt her move a little, and he waited until Signe was comfortable before he continued walking.

Signe inhaled sharply as she felt the giant move around her. This will be impossible to get used to, she thought. But at the same time, she felt comfortable, safe, around Jack. The walls of his pocket didn't envelope her with malice, they didn't threaten to close in on her like a spider's web. They were warm and soft, inviting her to stay safe with the giant. Here, she felt like they had hope.

Signe hoped she could share that with the others.

Jack stopped and ducked out of sight as a man walked past. He watched him go, then looked around and continued carefully. All he could think about was how he could fuck everything up if he got caught... He shook his head.  _I won't let them down._  He clenched his fists in determination and peeked around the last corner. He saw a guard posted at a silver door, and his hopes both rose and sputtered.  _Great! We found them, but... how are we going to get past the guard?_

Jack bit his lip. Breaking in looked easier on tv.

 

 

Amy's head shot up when the guard outside let out a small gasp and collapsed on the ground. The others heard it too, and she got up as keys jangled in the lock.

"What's going on?" Kathryn whispered. Her eyes were wide. Amy swallowed as the door opened, and a silhouette stood at the entryway.

"Shh," she breathed. They all cowered in the darkness as the giant entered and looked around. Amy frowned when she noticed that his hair looked dyed, to about a teal green; almost like Ethan's. And he wasn't wearing any clothes that were like the other giants'. Did he not work in this facility?

"Little duders?" He whisper shouted.

"They're over there, Sean." Everyone's eyes widened when Signe's head rose from the giant's pocket, and she pointed at the cage. Jack looked, and his eyes lit up when he saw them.

"There ya all are!" He rushed to the cage and stopped, crouching a comfortable distance away from the cage without coming too close. Amy's brow quirked. Interesting. "All right, I know there's a lot to explain, but there's not enough time," he murmured, "You guys need to come with me!" Ethan stared at the giant, horrified.

"No!" He wailed, "W-we're not going anywhere with you!" Instead of anger, Amy saw sympathy flash in the giant's kind blue eyes.

"I know yer scared of me, you have every right to be, but you need to come with me." He looked down at Signe and added, "You need to come with us."  _Where did Signe find this guy at?_  Amy wondered.  _And how the heck did she manage to persuade him to help us?_  She was impressed.

"Ethan." Cristina touched the blue boy's arm. "Tell him about Tyler." Jack frowned.

"Is there one more of you somewhere?" Ethan nodded.

"T-Tyler, he- they took him away. H-he was hurt, but-but we don't know why they..." He trailed off and cried into his sleeves. Jack's eyes widened, and then he frowned in pity.

"Shite," he cursed and looked at the lock. "Let's just work on getting you guys out of there, then we'll go get Tyler." He returned Ethan's gaze steadily. "We won't leave without him," he promised. Ethan sniffed and nodded. As Jack looked away and searched for an idea to unlock the cage, Amy bit her lip and took the first step. She walked away from the others and slowly approached the bars, and she gripped them as she watched the top of the giant's poofy head bob while he searched the ground.

"Hello again. Sean, was it?" She said. Jack's head came back up.

"That's right." He reached into his pocket and helped Signe onto the table. "You can call me Jack if you want, though. Signe's just being really polite," he replied as the Danish girl ran up to Amy. She touched Amy's hands through the bars and laughed shyly.

"You see? I told you I'd get help!" Amy smiled.

"Thank you," she murmured, suddenly tired. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and then said," Did you find out anything about...?" Signe grinned.

"Sean? You want to tell Amy about Mark?" Jack's head came up again.

"Oh, yeah! He's horrible, eats everything like a pig, bosses me around, gives Felix hell, tears up my furniture..." The girls laughed at the giant's goofy grin, charmed by his manner. Something in his voice told Amy he was joking, and that he meant the complete opposite.

"Is he ok?" She asked, desperate for a straight answer. Jack smiled.

"He's alright. He's been awfully worried about all of you guys, though." Amy felt tears springing up in her eyes _. Mark's ok!_ It felt too good to be true, out of all the danger they had gone through. Amy burst out crying, and Jack looked alarmed. "It's ok! Um." He put his hand supportively near the cage. "Y-you don't have to cry, um, it's gonna be ok!" He stammered, flustered. Signe pat his arm.

"I think those are happy tears," she said. Amy nodded and covered her eyes.

"Oh." He smiled and pressed the tip of his index finger against the bars. "Don't worry, you'll see him real soon, and then you guys can cry together." Amy looked up at Jack and sniffed, rubbing her eyes.

"Th-thank you," she whispered, putting her hand against Jack's fingertip. The giant nodded, smiling, and then suddenly started.

"Oh!" He dug into his pocket and pulled out a paper clip. "Let me try using this." Signe and the others watched hopefully as Jack bent the clip and inserted it into the keyhole. Amy gripped the bars nervously as she watched their gargantuan ally work, praying that he would succeed. Then, finally, the lock popped open.

"Yes!" Jack took the lock off and opened the cage door. Signe smiled and looked at Amy.

"He did it!" Amy was the first to step out onto the table. Cristina and Ethan worked together and carried Jordan out. Jack frowned.

"What happened to him?" He asked.

"Ship crash. What else?" Amy rolled her eyes. Jack smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, right." He put his hand down next to the door. "Here, let me help." Cristina gave him a wary stare.

"It'll let us go faster if he does," Signe chimed in shyly, "He can carry Jordan without a problem." Cristina looked at Ethan, and Ethan nodded.

"It's ok," he murmured under his breath. "He's our best chance of getting out of here."

"Ok," Cristina whispered, "But if he turns on us, if this is a trap, then you know we're screwed, right?"

"Yeah, I know. But he said he can help Tyler. That's the best any of their kind has said or done for us. We don't have a choice." Signe glanced at Jack, but the giant didn't look like he had heard. Instead, he waited patiently as the two humans put their friend in his hand, and then he extended his other hand.

"I'll put your friend in my chest pocket. It shouldn't be a bumpy ride for him in there," he said. "As for the rest of you, you guys can choose to stay in my jacket pockets, jean pockets, or the collar."

"I vote not-so-tight pocket," Amy immediately said.

"Me too," Cristina agreed. Ethan nodded. Signe blushed as Jack looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, um, I'll try your jacket collar," she stammered. "That way the others can have room." Jack nodded.

"Ok. Everybody all aboard the Jack Express!" Ethan, Cristina, and Amy climbed on. Jack carefully helped them all into his jacket pockets, including the unconscious engineer, and then he looked at Signe.

"Can I pick you up?" He gently asked. Signe nodded and walked closer. The green haired giant put his hand down next to her, and he carefully wrapped his fingers around the little lady and lifted her off the table. He inhaled sharply; he was used to picking Mark up, a broad muscular man, but Signe felt even tinier. Once again, his heart went out to the poor humans. I hope they make it home ok. He held Signe up at eye level and smiled. She smiled back, and her shoulders came together shyly as she wrapped her arms around Jack's digits.

"Let's get out of here." Amy's comment snapped Jack out of his trance.

"Right." He tucked Signe under his collar and made sure she was ready. Signe curled up on his shoulder and leaned against his neck.

"Let's go," she agreed.

 

 

 

Mark glared at his surroundings as the jar he had been dropped into was set down. "Let's try to get through this without any struggling." Damien looked down at him with an unblinking gaze as his associate turned some kind of machine on. Mark slammed his fist on the glass.

"Why are you doing this!?" He barked, "Can't you see we're just like you!" Damien frowned.

"We're nothing alike." He kneeled and leaned closer to Mark. Mark felt a cold sweat chill him, with ice coursing through his veins, as he took a step back. "You're inferior." Damien nodded at the machine. "Whatever you are, you should be groveling. After all, we control the business, and I control you." Mark felt another chill. His nape tingled, the nerves on his shoulders prickled.

"Wh-what do you mean?" His voice quivered. Damien stood.

"First, we're going to run a few little tests." Mark looked at the machine and shuddered. "And then, after we've proved that your miserable kind is harmless, we can choose what to sell you on the market as." The giant's eyes seemed to glow with cold menace. "Maybe as livestock, or decoration... or even pets." 

Mark went numb. "What?" He whispered. And then he shouted, "What!? Are you out of your goddamn mind? We're people. You can't do this!"

"Actually, I can," Damien said dismissively. "If the market had pets that could talk, that could understand people, why, the economy would boom!" He laughed. "Then everyone across the planet will want a human! All that's left now is to analyze the star ship you came here on. We'll master your world's technology and round up the rest of your puny kind." Mark was stunned. The human race, enslaved by giants? He wondered about the subject as Damien talked to his man.  _Would it be so bad? We could come here, live with them, on a new world, a planet that's clean. We can start over, but..._

 

_"Here, take this when you go back home."_

_"A tree seed?"_

_"I know, it's not much, but it's the least I can do. Go home and grow it somewhere where it can thrive, then plant it outside, and the seeds it drops too. Maybe they'll help make the pollution go away- or at least, it's a step in the right direction to balance out the carbon dioxide and other nasty stuff."_

 

 _Of course. How could I forget?_ Tears glittered in Mark's eyes. He smiled sadly. That tree seed was in Jack's room, just waiting to be planted on Earth. A tree that size could do some real good. How could Mark forget Jack's gift?

"No." Damien turned around.

"Huh?" Mark stood and looked Damien in the eye, and he laughed.

"I said no." A tear rolled down his cheek. "You won't figure out our technology," he exclaimed, "We're too advanced for you!" Damien squinted.

"You're bluffing." Mark snorted and crossed his arms.

"Wow, you're so stupid, you honestly think I'm joking!" He laughed. Damien curled his lips.

"Excuse me?" Mark kept his bluff up.

"No, no, excuse me! I didn't realize your kind was so Neanderthal that you can barely understand me." Behind Damien, his accomplice glowered.

"What are you-" he tried to snap.

"That's enough, William." Damien whipped around and glared at the other giant. "Go get the damn needle already." William ducked his head and hurried away. Crap. Mark sighed as Damien smirked at him. "We'll see who's the dominant species," he sneered. Mark swallowed.

_I'm so boned._


	31. Phantasmagoria (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Someone I loved once gave me a box full of d̓å̞̑͗̎ͨ͘r̭̠̣̰̠̜̺ͯ̔k̢̲͔͉̥ṉ͖͖͓͇̥̤̃̊ͮȅ̀͛͂͋҉̻s͚̮͇͍̅͌̽ͪ̇ͪͅs̡͖̙̈͐͌̍̎̔. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."
> 
> ~Mary Oliver

Jack dropped from the ledge and landed on the grass with a grunt. Signe flinched against his neck, and he also heard a few protests in his pockets. "Sorry," he mumbled. As he checked to see if they were ok, someone called his name.

"Jack!" Jack looked up to see Felix running over to him.

"Felix!?" Jack stared incredulously. "What the fuck are you doing here!?" Felix bent over and panted for a few seconds.

"Well... you see-"

"Jack!" Jack turned to see Mat run up to him as well. But he wasn't alone!

"What the hell is going on!" Jack exclaimed. "Nate! What are you doing here too!?" Nate was looking down in the giant's hand, and he didn't answer.

"It's a long story." Mat was answering for him. "I found him in the vents, he almost got himself killed!" Nate scowled. Jack glanced at Felix, and then he frantically turned to Nate.

"Where's Mark?" Nate looked away. A cold shiver of dread shot down the giant's spine. "Where is he!?" He asked desperately. Nate bit his lip.

"H-he went ahead, t-to find the others." Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out all of the survivors, cupping them carefully in his hands.

"I already found them! He wasn't there!" Nate's eyes widened. He covered them with his hands, and a tremble quivered down their spines.

"Sh-shit," Nate whispered.

"He must still be in there!" Even cool and calm Felix looked alarmed. Jack bit his lip; he had to act fast.

"Felix." Felix held his hands out, and the humans were quickly transferred from one giant to the other. But when Jack reached for Signe, the Danish girl pulled out of reach.

"I'm coming with you," she insisted. Jack's eyes widened.

"What? No! I'm not letting anyone else risk their neck in this stupid place."

"But you'll need someone to help you find Tyler too," Signe pointed out, "And I can keep an eye on him, or-or maybe even explain things if he's awake, while you look for Mark." Ethan made a small noise.

"P-please bring them back," he said quietly. Jack bit his lip and nodded.

"Ok. We will." Signe held on to his jacket's collar, bracing herself for whatever Jack needed to do as the giant turned and ran back to the building.  _I just hope we're not too late._

 

 

 

 

Mark pushed against the giant's hand, but he could do nothing as he was shoved onto the cold metal pad. Another pair of hands held his flailing arms down one by one, tying him down until he could only squirm and growl at the giants.

"Turn it on." William left Mark's line of sight. Mark strained against his bonds, panting in effort. But he couldn't free himself. Damien watched him with an amused look; there was no remorse on his countenance. All around Mark, the machine beeped as it began to hum. Mark's breathing got shallow and rapid as he started panting like a small animal, getting overwhelmed with fear.  _Shit. Shit shit shit. Shit! What are they going to do to me?_

"Begin the first test," Damien said. "Virtual Pressurization of Conceived Envisioning." He smirked as the machine beeped again and got louder. Mark blanched. I don't like the sound of that. He suddenly felt something stab his arm and yelled in surprise, jolting and turning to see a needle impaling his arm. The engineer's mind grew foggy as he struggled to hold on to his consciousness, but he was getting very woozy. Then, his head rolled, his eyes closed, and lights out. Damien watched Mark pass out with a sinister grin.

"Sleep tight, you little imbecile." And he laughed coldly.

 

 

 

 

Signe tried to not let herself get tossed around too much by Jack's stride, but she almost fell off and had to stop him. "Sean!" She cried, dangling on his shoulder. Immediately, Jack stopped and put his hand under her, giving the girl a platform to use. She climbed back on his shoulder and shivered. That was close.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked. He sounded worried.  _Really worried._ Signe remembered the others and clenched her fists. She looked up at Jack and forced herself to smile.

"I-I'm fine." But Jack saw straight through. He frowned and put his hand behind her.

"No yer not. You're shaking like a leaf." Signe guiltily looked away.

"Y-you shouldn't worry about me. We need to find Tyler and Mark."

"I know. But yer also my responsibility," Jack said firmly. "If something happened to you..." His sentence wavered. "I'd never be able to forgive myself." Signe frowned.

"Oh..." She leaned on his hand. "Sean-"

"Hey! Intruder!" Jack gasped and looked up. Two suits were headed right for them!

"Hold on!" He grabbed Signe and took off. Signe yelped and grabbed his digits, holding on as he clutched her to his chest and used his other arm to propel himself. She could hear his heart pounding in his breast as he sprinted through the epic labyrinth of hallways, and the giants' footsteps as they raced. She couldn't see anything. Her surroundings flew by her, until Jack suddenly stopped and squeezed into a dark room. He covered Signe with his hand and ducked in the dark corner; he held his breath.

She could clearly hear him still breathing heavily, but she followed his lead and said nothing. She couldn't see anything but darkness as the guards ran closer. A whimper escaped her lips, and she kept her eyes closed.

"Shit! We lost them," one man cursed.

"We couldn't have. We were right on his ass!" The other said.

"Let's split up. He couldn't have gone far." Their footsteps gradually faded. Signe didn't relax until she could hear only Jack's heartbeat. She sighed and relaxed against his sternum.

"I don't hear them anymore," she whispered. Jack nodded.

"Me neither." He cocked his head. They listened for a little longer before the giant finally relaxed and sighed. "Ok. I think the coast is clear." Signe hugged his thumb, relieved.

"Thank god," she sighed. Then she noticed the room they were in and froze. "S-Sean?" She tugged on his sleeve.

"Huh?" She got his attention and pointed. Jack looked, and he too widened his eyes. "Whoa." Lots of tanks and glass containers were glowing with a green substance. There were strange eyes everywhere, in the tanks or deactivated on assorted tables: The septic eyes. "Whooaaa!" Jack grinned widely and put Signe on his shoulder. "Awesome!!" He walked over to the closest one and picked it up. Proportionately to him, the green orb was the size of a basketball, and it was surprisingly heavy. Signe, too, was awed as Jack searched the eye for an on switch and clicked it.

The eye opened sleepily, emitting a few mechanical whirls. Jack smiled. "Hey there little buddy," he said gently. The eye chirped and floated out of Jack's arms, hovering and looking at the giant. When it noticed Signe, its pupil dilated. Signe stiffened. "Don't be afraid." Jack cupped his hand around the small girl. "We're both friends." The septic eye hummed and suddenly emitted a red glow, scanning Signe. She held her breath as it moved closer, but then it chirped and relaxed. Jack smiled.

"Yer adorable," he chuckled. Signe's cheeks turned red as the eye jumped around in the air with little squeaks and nuzzled Jack's chest. Jack laughed and hugged the machine. "Aww! Imma keep you." Signe laughed nervously.

"Really? What are you going to do with a robotic eye?" Jack shrugged. "And besides, we need to find Mark and Tyler," Signe pressed. Jack nodded.

"Yer right." He looked at the eye and thought for a few seconds. "Hey," he said suddenly, "Can you scan individual life forms?" The septic eye squeaked. "Try to find other life signatures, maybe like Signe's if you can." The eyes flew around the room, humming as its great big eye glowed. Signe watched it. It hovered over other powered down eyes; looked at some of the tanks glowing with strange liquids; observed jumbles of wires in what looked like armor stands; then, finally, it zipped over to a door and bounced around in the air, clicking. "All right!" Jack rushed over and opened the door to see behind it. His eyes widened.

"Ken!" He gasped. The giant was tied up and muzzled with duct tape. When he saw Jack, he squirmed and shouted incoherent words. Jack rushed over to help. "Hold on, just stay still!" He pulled the tape off and started untying the rope. Ken's eyes widened when he saw Signe, who shied away and leaned against Jack's neck. "Are you ok?" Jack asked.

"No, I'm not ok!" Ken barked. "I got knocked out in my own company!" Jack backed away as the angry giant got up and threw the duct tape away. "I'm gonna knock Damien's teeth in," he growled. Signe shivered.

"Who's Damien?" Jack echoed.

"One of my newest employees," Ken said. "He came around just before those space creatures crash-landed. I had him overlook their studies, but..." Ken shook his head and bared his teeth. "Apparently I was in his way," he said mockingly. Jack put his hand over Signe, giving her a reassuring touch.

"What does he want with them?" He asked. Ken shrugged.

"I don't know. He seemed interested in testing their intelligence, their dreams, how their brains function..." Jack blanched.

"I'm looking for them. Do you know where Damien would keep them?" Ken thought about that.

"Hmm. Maybe." He pointed in a direction. "If you head down that hall and take a left, and then a sharp right, you'll find the Dream Room. It has an instrument that allows us to map brain functions into pictures, videos even." Jack nodded.

"Thanks. Get outside, my friends are around the side. Come on Sam, let's go!" Signe didn't know who Jack was talking to until the septic eye beeped and flew after the energetic giant. She smiled to herself.  _I hope everyone will be ok._

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Mark opened his eyes and sat up. He looked around, and instead of sweet rich oxygen, the air felt thin and scratchy in his throat. He coughed and got out of bed, and he saw that he was back home. _Home._**

**"Amy?" He grabbed his shirt off the bedpost and put it on. He slipped out of the compact bedroom and entered the main room. He coughed again. "Amy." He looked around for Chica, but he was alone. He coughed some more and looked at the counter. Sitting there was a sapling; its roots stretched down the metal sides and dug into the floor. Mark frowned and looked at the sapling. It was beautiful, lush and green, standing out against the monochromic room. _Wait..._ He smiled and touched it. It quivered under his gentle touch, but stood strongly.  _I know what you are._**

**But then, its leaves suddenly withered. Mark's eyes widened as he watched it shrivel up and turn grey. "No!" He gasped. But it died. He backed away and slipped, falling on his back. He grunted and sat up. His backside felt warm and sticky, and he looked down before covering his mouth. _No. No no no..._ He retched and scrambled to the other side of the room.  _It's not blood, it's not blood, it's not blood!_ Mark shuddered as the room suddenly felt dark and ominous. He felt chills shoot down his spine as he made for the door. He threw it open, and then screamed.**

**There was no hallway to greet him. There was no building. Only smog hovered angrily in his face, and far down below his feet were dark, angry, churning waves.**

**An ocean.**

**Mark gripped the door frame. He was very pale, and felt faint. _What am I suppose to do? Where am I!?_**

**"It's not too late, you know." Mark turned around. Amy stood there with slumped shoulders, and her head was down.**

**"Amy!" Mark ran to her and grabbed her shoulders. "Amy, are you ok?" She didn't answer his question.**

**"You still have a chance." She looked up, and Mark's countenance twisted with horror. She had no eyes. They were only empty sockets, dark, red, and angry, and bloody. "You must fight back." Mark backed away.**

**"A-Amy!" He cried. Amy followed him with a zombie-esque step.**

**"Fight back," she repeated, echoing. "Fight back."**

**"Fight back. Fight back." Others emerged from the shadows. Nate, Jordan, Signe, Cristina, Ethan, Tyler, Katheryn... all of the humans. "Fight back," they chimed monotonously, like one booming voice. "Fight back!" Mark felt his heel dip and scrabbled to hold on to the door. He had backed himself into a corner. He stood on the precipice of the void filled with water and toxic air.**

**"How!?" He begged. "How do I save you?"**

**"Fight back." Ethan's sockets glowed white. "Fight back!" He said louder. The others joined in.**

**"Beware the darkness," Tyler thundered.**

**"Save us!" Signe cried.**

**"End the suffering!"**

**"Defeat the darkness!"**

**"Unite us!"**

**"Save them!"**

**"Fight back!"**

**"Fight back!"**

**"FIGHT BACK!!!" Mark was blown back by the cry. He lost his balance, and then he was in free fall. Poisonous gas filled his lungs; his eyes burned and watered from the toxic elements; his throat felt scratchy; the taste was foul on his lips; his vision turned dark as the wind howled in his ears. And pain exploded in his backside when he hit the ocean. It felt like concrete. He heard bones snap and crackle as he impacted, and his broken body sank below the surface.**

**He couldn't breathe. But, somehow, he wasn't dead. Now water pushed into his lungs, tasting disgusting. But Mark couldn't swim to the surface. He couldn't fight back. He watched, limply hanging in the bottomless ocean's cradle, as a huge shadow emerged from the dark depths.**

**"It's all your fault," a low voice whispered. "This is your new home." Another bubble escaped Mark's lips. He was so tired... _No... I... can't._ He called for his muscles and tried to move them. He had no control. The voice chuckled in his ear. "That's right," he said sweetly. "You're my puppet now. I own you." A current pulled Mark away from the gargantuan silhouette. The thing laughed cynically and followed him. But the current pulled faster, and faster, carrying Mark's broken body up, up, and away.**

**"You can't escape," the deep voice called with a sinister laugh. "I'll find you, and your friends." The current took Mark to the surface before he could hear any more gloating. His muscles suddenly spazzed, and the water was heaved from his chest. He coughed up a whole stream of dirty, salty water until nothing more came up. Exhausted, he floated in the rocking waves while struggling to breathe. But then, far off, over the turbulence of the ocean, he heard a voice calling his name. He lifted his head and licked his dry, salty lips. He knew that voice.**

**"Jack?" He whispered. Then everything went dark.**


	32. Phantasmagoria (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the d̓å̞̑͗̎ͨ͘r̭̠̣̰̠̜̺ͯ̔k̢̲͔͉̥ṉ͖͖͓͇̥̤̃̊ͮȅ̀͛͂͋҉̻s͚̮͇͍̅͌̽ͪ̇ͪͅs̡͖̙̈͐͌̍̎̔."
> 
> ~Anne Frank

Jack carefully leaned through the doorway and looked around. "Mark?" He whisper-shouted. The room was empty. He walked in and looked around again. At the center of the room sat a curious looking machine, and beside it sat a table. On the machine, assorted wires snaked around a panel, where a light shined underneath.

"Whoa." Jack studied the instrument. He noticed the wires were pointed out away from the main body of the machine, and then some color on the floor caught his eye. He looked down and saw more wires, but only pieces, like something tied up in them had pulled and gnawed away at the colored strings to escape.  _Mark?_  Jack wondered. At the same time, Signe gasped.

"Tyler!" Jack turned and saw Sam studying the table. On it, a small plastic container with poked holes in the lid held an unconscious human. He too was on top of a smaller machine, but it was scanning him with healing lasers, the giant noticed. "Oh Sean, please get him out of there!" Signe begged in his ear. Jack crouched and peered at Tyler. He didn't look too good, about the same condition as Jordan. He bit his lip and carefully picked up the container, taking the lid off and checking the human for any visible wounds.

"He looks in pretty rough shape," Jack remarked. "It'll be risky if I take him from the laser, it's healing him and may be what's keeping him alive." Signe looked pale.

"Are-are you sure?" She asked.

"No." Jack shook his head and studied Tyler more. "And I could accidentally hurt him," he murmured. His hands trembled a little at that thought. Signe shook her head.

"No you won't," she said firmly. "You are going to pick him up, get him out of this hell hole and save his life along with the rest of us! You aren't hurting anyone, and you're doing an amazing thing risking your life just to save ours. So don't start giving up on us and believe in yourself too!" Jack stared wide eyed at the Danish girl. For only a few seconds, he was speechless, but then he managed a quirky flash of teeth.

"Y-yes ma'am!" He chuckled. He set the container down and studied it again, wondering how best to get the human out. He reached in and gently nudged the man's head, cupping it in his hand and sliding his fingers down his back until he could scoop Tyler out. Jack felt him stir a little, and he checked his breathing for any problems. It wasn't erratic. He wasn't in any pain.

"Felix can look at him as soon as we're out of here," he said out loud. He put Tyler in his pocket and then craned his neck at Signe. "Let me know if he wakes up." Signe nodded and climbed onto his hand, letting Jack put her in the pocket as well. Once he was sure they were safe, Jack started to take a step before stopping and looking at the machine again.

"Where the hell is Mark?" He murmured.

 

 

 

 

**Mark was in a daze. He didn't know how he got here, or where he was, but he remembered that he needed to get out. His own pulse boomed in his ears; his heart pounded loudly in his breast; his muscles ached, and he was so tired. Overhead, a light flashed mockingly at him, and Mark muttered as he waved his hand and covered his eyes.**

**"Leave me alone." More lights flickered. The hallway felt endless. Mark frowned and rubbed his eyes. His legs wobbled under him, threatening to give out. "Go away," he said. Voices howled with laughter in his ears, and the engineer swatted the air. "Go away!" He said desperately. But they just wouldn't. He groaned and gripped his stomach. He felt sick. His legs shook again as he struggled to remain upright, and he stopped to lock his knees together in place.**

**"Stop it," he murmured. "It isn't funny." The applauds and laughs came again. He covered his ears, trying to tune out the voices. "I said stop it!" He screamed. But nothing happened. He fell to his knees and shook, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Please stop," He whispered.**

**"Mark!?" Mark looked up and gasped. That voice...! Jack came around the corner and looked down at him. But, to his confusion, his eyes were glowing green, and a huge sinister grin was plastered on his face.**

**"I've been looking everywhere for you!"**

**"N-no." Mark backed away. "Leave me alone!" He cried. Not-Jack giggled and crouched down.**

**"What's the matter? Scared?" He laughed. "If I don't play with you, I'll be so bored," the giant said sweetly. Mark scooted back again. His arms felt weak under his weight, and his leg was aching as sweat dripped down his brow.**

**"P-Play!" Mark panted. "I'm not a plaything. J-Jack, it's me, please!" He fell over on his side and curled up into a ball. "Don't hurt me!" He wailed. Not-Jack laughed, sending shivers down Mark's spine. His hand came out reaching for him menacingly, and Mark buried his face in his knees to brace himself. As soon as he touched his back, a jolt of agony jumped through him. Mark screamed and thrashed to get away.**

**"NO!!!" He screamed. "Stop it, stop it, stop it!!"**

**"Now why would I do that?" The giant laughed. "Yer in no condition to be sayin so." Mark looked down and felt sick. Bloody scrapes covered his arms, and his pant legs were stained with blood. He trembled.**

**"Wh-what did you do to me?" The giant laughed again. Mark flinched; it made him want to claw his ears off.**

**"You did this," Not-Jack laughed, "Yer going mad, buddy. Welcome to the luxury life!" Mark whimpered.**

**"N-no." He watched as more blood dripped from his fingertips, splashing onto the floor in small red dots. Sickened, he swayed and slumped against the wall. But the wall was suddenly gone. He fell over and collapsed on what he realized was a hand. Not-Jack chuckled and held the human up to his face.**

**"What are ye gonna do? Cry for yer mommy and daddy?" He teased. More tears splashed from the spaceman's eyes. "No? Maybe yer brother?" Then Not-Jack gasped mockingly. "Oh that's right! Yer friends are gonna die, and no one knows where you are. No one can save ya!" Mark grit his teeth.**

**"Don't you dare hurt them!" He screamed. The giant giggled.**

**"Oh, silly Markimoo. I haven't done anything... yet." He licked his lips sinisterly, eyes gleaming with a wicked excitement. "But I can't wait to get my hands on them." Mark tried to bite his hand, but it didn't affect the demonic giant. "Mark, Mark, Mark." The giant tsked and poked Mark roughly. He winced. "When will you learn? Yer not hurting me." He smiled diabolically. "Yer hurting him." Then Mark's senses went numb.**

 

"Mark? Mark! Mark, answer me damnit!" Mark opened his eyes. His ears had a ringing sound in them, and he couldn't see. His vision was blurry, and all he saw was a huge figure in front of him before panic suddenly blasted through his veins again. He started to thrash, but he was quickly stopped by a touch on the head. "Hey, hey, hey! Easy," the voice whispered. "Yer ok. Yer gonna be just fine." Circles were gently rubbed on his head, mussing his hair before smoothing it back down, and then repeating. Mark groaned and slumped, struggling with his body to catch up on what was going on.

When his senses gradually returned, Mark realized that a familiar, pale hand was holding him. He rolled over on his back and looked down to see that he was only a foot off the ground- in giant proportions. A finger touched his back, making him flinch.

"It's ok, it's ok," the familiar voice murmured. "Just calm down, take a deep breath. Yer gonna be just fine." The finger started to rub circles into Mark's aching back. It felt good. His muscles relaxed as he shuddered and went limp. His heart was racing, and his skin was wet with perspiration.

He twisted around and held his arms out to look at them. Some scrapes and cuts marked his forearms, but there wasn't any blood gushing from them. His breathing faltered. He looked around wildly. They were at the end of a hallway, next to a window that beautifully exhibited the sky. Mark shivered.

"Wh-what... Happened?" He asked hoarsely. Jack frowned and rubbed the engineer's hair.

"Beats me. I found you just walking around in the hall. You looked like a zombie, and then..." His voice quivered, and he stopped himself there. Mark groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"I-I don't remember what happened," he mumbled, "Th-there was this guy, Damien, and he-he and this guy named William tied me up to this-this machine. Then they-they injected something in me, and then everything went dark." Mark looked up at Jack with a woozy expression. Jack winced.  _He looks so pale, and he looks like he's about to fall over._  He forced himself to smile a little.

"Don't worry," he said. "It's over now. Can ye walk, or-or stand?" Mark shook his head and lay back down, resting his head on Jack's curled fingers.

"I don't think I could ever do anything again," he muttered. Jack frowned and cupped the human in his hands.

"Don't say that. You've just been through a horrible experience, of course you feel like shite right now." Mark hummed a small note, agreeing. Jack sighed and cradled the tiny engineer against his chest. Mark shifted into a more comfortable position, and Jack lay his other hand over him like a blanket. Mark closed his eyes and sighed, but then he opened them again.

There was a bite on Jack's hand.

"J-Jack...?" Mark lifted his head. "You're-you're bleeding." Jack gave the bite a nonchalant glance and moved his hands, blocking Mark's vision.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," he insisted with a forced smile. Mark closed his eyes and frowned.

"I-I did that, didn't I," he asked miserably. Jack's smile wavered.

"It's ok. You were just trying to defend yerself," he said. "You didn't know." Mark sighed and didn't say any more. Jack watched the human for a few seconds, and then he shook his head and got up. "Come on. I already got the others out. They're all waiting for ye." Mark's mind buzzed with that idea.  _The others... Amy... my friends..._

"I've had enough for one day," he agreed drowsily. Jack nodded.

"Right. Let's get outta here."

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that easy." Jack's head snapped up to see Damien. He stood there, smirking, as men came from the other hallways and stood beside him. They were surrounded. "Looks like my experiment was successful," he said, "Pity you had to go and ruin the fun, in the end." Jack backed away.

"Experiment!?" He seethed. "You call hurting people an experiment? Yer sick!" Damien chuckled.

"Perhaps. But nonetheless, you played a surprisingly good role in it. You've managed to bond with one of these creatures, taming it and getting it to trust you. You've turned out to be quite the owner." Disgust made Jack's gut churn as he glared at the men. "I can offer you a large sum of money, Jack," Damien offered.

"I don't need it," snapped Jack. Damien chuckled again.

"But just think. When we find their planet and capture their race, we could make millions! They'd be the newest thing on the market, everyone would want one." He put his hands behind his back and watched Jack expectantly. "Join me. Become my business partner, and together we'll tame these animals and become the richest people in the whole wide world." Jack's eyes were wide.

"Y-you want me to work with you?" He exclaimed. Damien nodded and waited patiently for his answer. Jack looked at the men in suits and held Mark closer to his chest.

"It's not like you really have a choice," Damien suddenly said. He added with a grin, "Besides, I'm making the offer of a lifetime! Surely you wouldn't deny that, Jack?" Jack flinched. He didn't like this guy, but Damien was right. There was no way out of this, no way to escape.

"J-Jack..." Jack looked down at Mark. He was watching the giant; his eyes were half-open, and he looked so tired and frail. But he looked like he was trying to tell Jack that it was going to be ok. _No._ Jack's jaw set. _No way am I letting this bastard near Mark or any of his friends, or people!_ Damien seemed to sense Jack's decision. His eyes narrowed dangerously.

"This is my final offer," he said warningly. Jack took another step back when the agents advanced on him, and his back hit cold glass. He froze. "You could be more than just a celebrity." Damien walked closer. "You could be a god," he whispered. Jack's chest quivered with a shaky breath. He slowly walked over to Damien.

"A god, huh?" Damien nodded.

"Work alongside me, and you shall have unspeakable power. All I ask is for you to say one, teeny tiny little word: Yes."

"Yes?" Jack echoed. "Why that?" Damien's gaze felt like it was burning holes into the green-haired giant.

"To seal the contract, of course." Jack bit his lip.

"... And if I say no?" He ventured. Damien's gaze got dangerously dark.

"Then you will suffer the consequences." Jack swallowed and glanced at the waiting men. He looked at Damien and bit his lip.

"B-before anything else happens, I have something to say." Damien inclined his head.

"Of course," he said sweetly. Jack smirked.

"Go fuck yourself." He turned and broke into a run, and before the men could do anything he jumped and broke through the window. The glass shattered with a shriek and sparkled like snow, and Damien roared with fury.

"Find him!" He shouted. "I don't care if his neck is snapped on the rocks! Find him and bring him to me!" The men hurried away quickly. Damien stood there, breathing heavily for a few seconds before he recovered himself and looked out the window. He saw no broken body, only the cliff edge and the precipice of death. His lips curled back in anger, and with a growl he headed off.

And under the window, Jack was hanging onto a ledge. As soon as he couldn't hear anyone else, he grunted as he started to shimmy shammy to solid ground. In his pocket, Mark groaned at the swaying motion. "Sorry little duder," Jack panted, "But just a little more, and then-" His grip slipped. He yelped as he lost one hand on the ledge and dangled over the dangerous drop. He panicked until he managed to grab the ledge again. "That's the last time Jackaboyman is in action!" he muttered to himself, shaking like a leaf. He kept going, getting closer and closer, until finally he let go and sank his feet into soil. Solid ground.

He sighed in relief and dropped to his knees. "Phew." He gave himself a few seconds to relax, and then he peeked in his pocket. "You ok, Mark?" Mark groaned.

"I-I... I don't feel very good..." 

"I know," Jack soothed, "We're almost there, just hang on a little bit longer." He broke off into a jog and found his friends in the bushes where he left them.

"Jack!" Felix jumped the shorter giant and hugged him. Jack yelped when he almost lost his balance, then laughed in relief and hugged him back.

"Easy! Watch the pocket." Mat was smiling cheerfully, delighted, and Nate was on Mat's shoulder, sitting close to Cristina and quietly talking to her. On his other shoulder, Amy and Ethan sat, and Jordan and Tyler were in his pocket. And hovering behind him, Sam was holding the others on a little extended platform.

"Did Sam get you guys here safely?" Jack asked Signe. She nodded with a smile.

"He was a good boy." Sam chirped and wiggled shyly.

"Good," he chuckled. "What about Ken?"

"Ken?" Felix wrinkled his nose. "That sleazeball was outta here like there's no tomorrow." Jack couldn't help but laugh a little.

"He'll be all right."

"Where's Mark?" Amy asked quietly. "Is he ok?" Jack reached in his pocket and held Mark out. Amy's eyes widened. "Mark!" She clambered onto his hand and dropped at the engineer's side. "Mark? Mark." She gently shook him, and then cradled his head. His chest moved, and then his eyelids fluttered open. He stared, unfocused, for a few seconds, but then his eyes settled on Amy. He widened his eyes and smiled tiredly, tearing up.

"Amy?" Amy laughed in relief and kissed him. "A-Amy!" He kissed back, grabbing her hand and squeezing it like he would never let go. "I'm so sorry," he breathed. "I'm so so sorry, this is all my fault, I should have found you sooner, I should have-"

"Sh-shut up, I already know." Amy grinned as tears streamed down both their cheeks, and they hugged. Mark grunted and got squeamish.

"Ow," he groaned.

"Oh, sorry." She touched his chest. "You're really hurt, aren't you? Oh, Mark..." She kept squeezing his hand, as if she didn't believe this was happening. "You shouldn't have put your life on the line like that, I'm not worth you getting killed over." Mark smiled.

"You're always worth it," he said firmly. As they hugged again, more carefully this time, Jack sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. Amy smiled up at him.

"Aww, big guy," she said kindly, "Are you crying?"

"No!" Mark let out a tired laugh. "Hey, it's nothing!" Jack rubbed his eyes busily. "I-I just got something in my eye!" He insisted.

"Really? What?"

"TEARS!!!" They all laughed.

"We should get out of here before they find us," Felix reminded.

"Right." Mat looked at the facility, then over at Sam. "So why did you get a septic eyebot?" He asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you on the way." Once Mark and Amy were situated in his chest pocket, he turned to his hoverboard. "Let's just get you guys home, safe and sound."


	33. Parley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After everyone is safely rescued, Mark finds that he must address the issue concerning mankind and the Gæmba. Can they find a peaceful resolution?

**"Sir?" The researcher called over his officer. "I'm having difficulties with the eyecam again," he said.**

**"Again?" The man frowned at the crackly screen. "Well don't just sit there, fix it!" He ordered. "This is being streamed on every tv in the world, we have to maintain contact!"**

**"I know sir, I know. But it's just not working." The scientist was poking buttons and trying to fix the problem. The officer scowled.**

**"I can see that." He nudged the researcher out of the way and started clacking on the keyboard. The screen continued to fizz, but as the officer reached for another key, something suddenly came through the interference. They both froze, listening.**

**"And... sure he's... sensory deprivation?"**

**"That sounds like Mark Fischbach," the research murmured with wide eyes. "At least, I-I think. I'm not sure." He tried to tap a few buttons, but nothing happened. "I can't tell with the white noise overlayers."**

**"Of course... sure! Vhy... doubt me?" The officer frowned. German?**

**"... safe than... tend to get a little... overzealous."**

**"Pah! I... doctor, you... doubt me."**

**"I don't..." Then a sigh. "This will have to...at least... time is right."**

**"What the hell?" The researcher whispered. They waited for the conversation to continue. But it didn't.**

**"Vhat... matter?" The German voice asked. The screen suddenly fizzed wildly. The men jumped as sparks jumped from the computer tower. The computer seemed to suddenly have a mind of its own.**

**"Take cover!" The officer ducked, and the researcher leaped for cover as others looked from a distance with alarm.**

**And then the monitor exploded, and the lights went out.**

 

 

 

By the time the familiar cabin was in sight, Mark had enough strength to stand with Amy's help. It was hard to, balancing in Jack's pocket, but he leaned against the giant's chest to keep steady. Amy held on to his arm the entire time, not wanting to let go of the man she loved. He felt Jack's chest suddenly expand, and he heard the giant sigh in relief.

"We're almost there," he said.

"Phew!" Mat sighed. "I think I need to lay down. That was enough for me today." Mark heard a muffled mutter of agreement from Nate.

"That was awesome though!" Felix swerved on his hoverboard, giving Mat's a playful bump. "We got to break in there like secret agents." Mark smiled and lay his head on Amy's shoulder. She kissed his forehead and let her fingers twine through his raven hair.

"I'm just glad everyone's ok," she murmured.

"Mm." Mark hummed in agreement and closed his eyes. He was spent, down to the bone. All he wanted to do was get some sleep and never let go of Amy for the rest of his life. Behind Jack, Sam beeped excitedly and zipped ahead of the rest of the party. Jack chuckled as the robot hovered on the porch and turned to them, squeaking.

"Sam can't wait to get inside," he remarked. He put his foot on the ground and stopped the hoverboard. The others did the same and got off. But when Jack went up the patio stairs and reached for the doorknob, a beam of light suddenly cut through the air with a blast. Jack yelped and jumped back, whirling on his heel as he put his freshly cut thumb in his mouth and sucked on it. "That hurt!" He complained, muffled. Mark recovered from the sudden change in direction and strained to see out of the giant's pocket. His eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Billy stood at the edge of the forest, with his men behind him. He was back. "Did I put a dent in your ego? Oopsies." He snickered; he was definitely not sorry. Felix growled and shook his fist.

"You piece of shit. I'm gonna put my fist through your-" Billy interrupted him.

"Save your petty insults, giant. I didn't come here to play." He turned his head, and his eyes met Mark's. He gave the spaceman a cold smile. "Did you miss me?" He sneered. Mark's mouth suddenly felt dry.

"Listen here, kid." Mat stepped in front of Jack. "Why don't you just turn around and go home?" He suggested, "There's no need for- OW!!" Mat flinched and held his arm. A fresh cut sizzled on his skin. "What the heck!?"

"Don't. You. Dare." Billy lowered his weapon and glared at them all. "Patronize us. We don't have a home to go to, don't you get it!" He snapped. Behind him, the others nodded, agreeing. "The only way we can avenge our kind, my father, is if I kill you!" Mark frowned; Billy's hand was shaking.

"Doesn't mean ya shoot before you speak!" Jack scowled at the aliens. "That's not how you meet new people."

"And threatening people's lives isn't very diplomatic of you either," Felix added dryly.

"I don't care!" Billy snapped. "Give me Mark Fischbach and I'll let your annoying asses live to see another day." Jack was surprised to hear a growl rumble in Felix's chest.

"Cute. You're threatening us when you're in no condition to do so." Mark looked at the giants. He had to do something. He had to end this before things get out of hand. He kissed Amy's head and whispered, "Stay here" before he started climbing down Jack's shirt. Amy watched him go with wide eyes. Meanwhile, Felix's eyes were cold and narrow. "Listen here, Timmy-"

"Billy."

"Whatever. First, you kill lots of innocent people, then you come here, terrorize some folk, threaten to kill our friend, and then you think you can tell us what to do?" Felix laughed. "Man, you're really messed up, aren't you?"

"Don't talk about him like that!" Steve exclaimed. "He's our leader, and he's done everything to-"

"Shut it!" The woman hissed, "They don't need to know."

"They already do though." Steve fixated the giants with a wide eyed stare. "It's thanks to the human race that our kind is dying!" He pleaded. "In order to stave off those wicked creatures, we have to eliminate their space travel, so that we may settle down on a stable planet."

"Or take theirs over," another muttered.

"Don't you understand?" Billy blinked at the giants. "Surely you would. We've already made a deal. Just hand over Mark, and the human race is yours to take." Jack's heart squeezed fearfully.

"What deal?" He demanded. Billy smirked.

"We deliver the humans to you in exchange for supplies, and the human you're carrying in your pocket. Damien will find you in a matter of time, and then the Gæmba shall become the greatest race again to exist!" A chill coursed through the giant's body. Damien... No! Now it was Jack's turn to growl.

"No fucking way." He clenched his teeth in a snarl. "No! Deal's off, alright? Yer not getting your filthy hands on a single human! You hear me!? NO!!" Mat and Felix watched Jack with wide eyes. Billy too was taken by surprise at his aggression, startled by the sudden ferocity in his sharp blue eyes. "Just go home! And leave us all alone!" Jack shouted. "You've done enough damage." Billy recovered and pointed his gun.

"I've done enough damage?" His voice shook with fury. "I've done enough damage! Do you have any idea what those bastards have done!? They've ruined their homeworld! They've slaughtered their own in greedy races for power. They're murderous animals, the lot of them!"

"Not all of us are like that!" Signe blurted. There was only a flicker of surprise in the alien's eyes before the emotion quickly went away.

"I see you really did rescue the others. Impressive." He clicked the safety lock off. "This is my final warning. Give them to us now, or I'll take them from you." Jack glared at him.

"Um, Jack?" Felix said, standing beside him. "What should we do?"

"We can't just give them what they want!" Mat exclaimed.

"Ye think I'm scared of a little toy gun?" Jack took a step closer.

"Jack, wait!!!" Jack, startled, backed up as Mark ran out in front of him and waved his arms. "Stop!" He shouted. "That's enough." He turned to face the aliens. "No more violence," he said tersely. "We're going to talk about this like adults, ok?" His tone went softer. "No guns, no weapons, no tricks. No nothing. We'll lay out all of the problems, and we'll work together to find a way to balance them all out. Just you, and me. Let's make a little deal of our own."

"How do we know this isn't a trick?" One of them demanded. Jack held his breath, waiting for Mark's answer.

"Because you know me." Mark's eyes seemed to darken. "You know exactly who I am, and what all I'm capable of. Would I lie to kill any of you?" They stared at each other, for what seemed like forever. Jack's heart thundered in his ears so loudly he thought everyone else could hear it.

Billy sighed and put his gun down. "Fine." He held his weapon to Steve, who took it disbelievingly. Mark nodded and took his knife out, and he looked up at Jack.

"Jack, can you hold on to this for me?" Jack crouched down and let the astronaut drop his knife in his palm.

"Are ye sure about this?" He whispered. "Yer risking a lot. What if it doesn't go right?" Mark patted his thumb, nervously biting his lip.

"It will. It has to." Jack rumbled uncertainly as Mark turned away and followed Billy into the wild forest. Felix sighed and bounced on his heels.

"That crazy ass better know what he's doing."

 

 

 

"You seem to be healing well," Billy said dryly. Mark grimaced. He had only been spurred by adrenaline. Now that his fear for his friends' safety was gone, his body was ready to drop dead. But he knew there was still unfinished business; he couldn't rest easy yet.

"I want you to tell me everything." Mark crossed his arms on his chest. "I mean it, why you hate us, why you want revenge." His eyes were gentle. "I want to understand your view of things. I want to know why-"

"Because you're corrupted." Billy's voice was blunt, but angry. "Every single one of you miserable organisms." Mark winced. Ok, that's a start. Just give him a chance to open up. He needs to let out whatever emotions his kind has bottled up, and then I need to find a peaceful way out of this mess, with a solution that will benefit everyone.

"I'm listening," he said quietly. Billy scowled at him.

"Are you really?" He demanded, "I may look like just a kid to you, but our lifespans are much longer. I've lived maybe as long as you, even, but I'm much more than some whiny brat you might mistake me for!" Mark nodded, understanding.

"Please." He sat down watched the alien boy. "I'm listening," he repeated. Billy shook his head and sighed.

"You humans," he muttered, "Always wanting answers, always looking for reasons for this and that. Don't you get it? Some things can't be explained. Some things just happen, and can't be changed. A tiger can't change its stripes, and a human can't change its skin."

"Understandable," Mark agreed. "But anything can change its mind. Just because the universe obeys natural laws doesn't mean that those laws can't be flexed or bent. The Space Voyage is a huge thing for us. We have no idea what we're doing, what are our limits or capabilities." He paused, in thought. "But maybe we can benefit from each other."

"Oh yeah?" Billy sneered. "Amuse me."

"You can help us learn the boundaries," the engineer suggested, "We could learn so much from you all. And in turn, you can help us save our own planet, and we can help you find your own world. And without anyone getting hurt." Billy laughed scornfully.

"Save your planet? It's already gone! Humans have already corrupted it, and nothing can bring it or your morality back." Mark closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"There might be a way." He opened his eyes and put his hands together, watching Billy carefully. So far, the boy wore only doubt, suspicion, disgust, and concern. Whatever had happened in his past, it must have been tragic to drive a youth to a path of murder and darkness. "Jack gave me a seed from his world," he said, "And when I go home, I'm going to plant it. I'm going to grow that tree and spend all the credit I can to make sure that tree has the best chance at life. Then, after more saplings spread, I'll plant them. Then, over time, more trees will grow, and what's once a world of smoke and monochromic lives could change into a beautiful and amazing new place." He looked the boy right in the eye. "I have to go home. I have to plant that tree, and I will. I'll take care of it and grow more and more, and when I become dust, my future generations too will take care of them. I will not let my planet or innocent people die. I will do my damned hardest to save everyone that I can." Mark shook his head. "So don't tell me that I can't, because that will only make me come through even harder." The information digested in silence. Billy sighed.

"I never said I hate you, specifically." Mark blinked. "But I hate you because you're a symbol for your kind," Billy said, "You give them moronic hopes and stupid dreams, and fill their heads with clouds."

"There's nothing wrong with hope." Mark leaned forward and put his arms on his legs. "Hope can do great things," he said in a gentle voice. "Hope gives a person the inspiration to do amazing things. It pushes them to their limits, and it helps them believe in humanity." Billy studied him.

"And what is your definition of humanity, Mark?" His tone had lost its sneer.

"The will to do good, help others," Mark answered. "And when I go, I want to leave with the world a better place. I want to help others. I don't want to just be a... a man, or an engineer, even though that's what I am. But I want to make people happy. I want to give them a reason to smile, to feel that hope and the passion to do good in this world." He gave Billy a pleading look. "So, please. Let us help you. Let's save both of our races, together." Billy shook his head and said nothing for a few seconds.

"... that's more than I've heard from the rest of your people," he said quietly. He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "Not a single one has ever offered to help us." Mark couldn't help but feel sorry for Billy and compare the young extraterrestrial to a child, given his physique.

"Maybe you haven't talked to enough people in the right place." Mark held his arms out. "All I'm asking is that you give us a chance to prove you wrong," he murmured, "Please. Let us help each other. Let's end this feud, enough blood has been spent." Billy looked at him long at hard, and then he sniffed and nodded. Mark got up and wrapped his arms around the boy. Billy tensed, but then he slowly relaxed as Mark smiled. The boy muttered under his breath and turned his head to look up at the gorgeous sunset, not speaking until he made his ultimate decision.

"Very well," the alien mumbled, "I guess I can let you live, for now." Mark chuckled. "However." Billy pushed away and looked up at the voyager. "There's some things you need to know... About everything."

 

 

 

Jack continued to pace the porch. The last of the fading rays of sunlight were being swallowed up by the tree line. It was getting dark and cold fast, and the giant could smell rain on the wind.

"Screw you, Billy," he muttered, "Leading my little buddy out there, probably taking advantage of him and making him get lost or hurting him or maybe even killing him- no, can't think like that. Or maybe found a way to threaten Mark to never return and abandon us- no, no, he wouldn't, course not! But what if-"

"Jack." Felix scowled at him. "Stop pacing, will you? You're making me nervous just watching you."

"Excuuuse me." Jack stopped pacing and stuck his tongue out at him. "But I have feelings, and I'm worried for the little guy!"

"Mark can handle himself." Jack huffed. He was resorting to bouncing on his heels now, and he stuck his hands in his pockets as his eyes moved to look at the last of the evening light.

"I know that, genius! It's just... well..." Jack stopped moving, and he lowered his head. "I'm just worried. He's so close to finally going home. I don't want anything to stop him, or his friends, from that." Jack closed his eyes. "Especially me," he admitted quietly. Felix's countenance morphed into sympathy.

"Jack-" But then he changed midsentence. "Jack, look!" As the giant turned to look, the leaves rustled. Mark pushed out of the undergrowth and stepped into the open, followed close behind by Billy.

"Mark!" Jack exclaimed at the same time Steve called, "Billy!" The two ran up to greet their friends, but Mark met Jack first since the green haired giant ran forward and kneeled. "Mark!" He swept the engineer up and hugged him. "Are you ok? You were gone for a whole fucking hour! God, yer freezing too! And you need to rest!" Mark smiled tiredly as Jack fretted over his health, while Billy kept Steve back.

"I'm fine," he mumbled. He jumped up the stairs as the others turned to watch him.

"What happened?" Steve tried to get the boy's attention, but Billy ignored him and walked into the cabin. His female accomplice rolled her eyes.

"I'm guessing we're at a truce now." She started after Billy. "Whatever. I'm done with it, I just want a warm place to sleep and good food now." The others muttered their agreements and followed suit. Steve sighed and hurried after them. Mark watched them go, and then he spread his arms and leaned into Jack's chest.

"Huh?" Jack stopped talking and looked at him. "What are ye doing, Mark?" He asked. Mark smiled up at him.

"It's called a hug, doofus," he laughed.

"Oh! I can do that too,  _doofus_." Jack hugged back, and Mark chuckled. Then he turned toward the cabin. "Come on, let's go inside. Everyone's waiting for ya."


	34. Never Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Good friends never say goodbye. They simply say "See you soon." "

It felt good to hug everyone now that the action had died down. Mark felt like he was going to fall apart, and at the same time passion drove him to insistently hug every single person in the room, from grumpy Felix to an unsuspecting Gæmba citizen. His loving actions came to an end, however, when he needed to give his body a chance to rest, and so he finally did. At first, it was a bit overwhelming, to go from having just Jack around to hosting several people under the cabin's roof, not to mention Sam the robotic eye, but it didn't take long before it felt normal.

And so, as Katheryn, Cristina, and a couple of others worked on the space ships, Mark and Nate healed. Turns out Nate had a bad fracture in his fibula, along with some mysterious bruising that he didn't bother explaining. Mat spent a lot of time with the two astronauts, and he even brought over his wife, Stephanie. Mark took a liking to her pretty quickly; she was really nice and caring.

After a couple days of healing, Mark began to spend a lot of time around the technology of Jack's world. He hardly ever left the giant's side and asked questions about everything he saw that was new; and with the threats of this new world gone, he could take the time now to actually enjoy Jack's world and admire their creations. He witnessed the virtual reality firsthand; got a late Halloween prank; learned more about the EyeNet; and he even got to study the inside works of the computer itself. It was absolutely amazing to him, and the perfect time consuming project to undertake as he waited for his friends to finish check-ups on the ships, to make sure they were fit to fly after the ambush the Gæmba had delivered. And whenever he took the time to help them out or finalize his own escape ship, Signe and Jack would spend a lot of time together. It made Mark smile every time he heard them laughing in the other room.

Tyler also woke up shortly after Mark and Nate started to walk around. Ethan had been really worried, hardly ever leaving Felix's room. Whatever the giants had been doing to him when Jack found him, it seemed to have worked. Ethan was half asleep next to Tyler, about to completely doze off when he suddenly heard the officer groan. He'd snapped awake and saw Tyler opening his eyes and looking around, and he cried out to the others as he hugged his friend. Everyone was so relieved and welcomed him back.

Felix also managed to keep Jordan stable so far, but only a real hospital could wake up Mark's mentor. "He's suffering some internal bruising and swelling," he had told Mark, "And his blood count is really low, too low to heal his body." When he told Amy, she admitted that when they were captive, Damien had taken a blood sample from Jordan no matter how hard they tried to help him. It was just another reason to think that giant so cruel as Mark hugged his girlfriend and told her that it was going to be ok.

"Maybe they were just waiting to see how long he'd die, or something," Jack had muttered distractedly. He didn't look very content, either way, about Damien's cruel inhospitality. Signe had comforted Jack and told him what an amazing job he'd done, and all the lives he had saved, but Jack still held a small grudge against Septic Robotics, and yet he softened every time Signe touched him. It was clear where his loyalty and passion lay.

Marzia forgave Felix when he came clean, apologized profusely, and told her everything that had been going on. He did, however, have to introduce her to Mark and give her some flowers. But Mark thought she was really nice and told Felix he was a lucky man. She even promised to keep the secret. The press gave Jack hell though, but somehow he managed to chase them off without revealing anything. And then Septic Robotics showed up on tv, and Ken told everyone that the humans had just been robotic toys in development, and that a few had gone haywire. This made everyone relieved; they were all safe now. Mark had taken the opportunity to celebrate by teaching Jack how to make a family recipe: Chicken dumplings. Together, he and Jack slaved all afternoon that day, finding the right herbs that matched Earth's and giving instructional tips to general cooking. It was a blast- and their first attempt Jack did almost burn them. In the end though, he proudly bore the successful result, with only a few burnt knuckles to prove that he had cooked something besides pizza. And it was delicious.

But it reminded Mark of home. It reminded him of all the people back on Earth, who needed his help and Jack's seed. So on day seven, he walked outside and headed to the landing site. "How's it coming along?" He asked. Katheryn smiled.

"Actually, I was just going to look for you. We'll be ready for launch by tomorrow!" Mark's heart soared. Tomorrow! They were going home tomorrow! But after conversing for a little bit and going back to the cabin, Mark stopped at the porch stairs and realized that he was going to have to break the news to the giants. He sighed and went inside. This wasn't going to be easy.

"Hey Nate, where's Jack?" Mark asked. Nate was by the front door, exploring the EyeNet.

"I heard him mention cooking to Signe," he said. Mark nodded and started to walk to the kitchen when Nate suddenly added, "I'm not going." Mark halted and turned.

"What?" Nate didn't look away from the screen.

"I'm not going," he repeated. Appalled, Mark walked to the laptop's side.

"Why not? What about Morgan?" Nate bit his lip and shook his head.

"Lots of reasons. But I'm going to stay here, with Mat and Stephanie. They offered to take me in and let me stay with them." Mark tried to understand what was going on in the young man's mind.

"Ok." His stomach flipped as he realized how much harder this would make it to tell Jack that he was leaving. But he forced a smile. "I hope you'll be happy there, then."

"You too." Nate finally looked him in the eye. "Trust me, Earth is better off without me," he said, "Don't worry about me." Mark exhaled.

"I hope we'll see each other again. You're a great guy, Nate." Nate laughed at that.

"Yeah, see you in another life." Mark turned and walked away. The turmoil in his chest grew as he walked into the dining room and saw Jack in the kitchen. He was working alongside Signe, who was teaching him how to make some kind of Danish dish. Mark took a deep breath. Here it goes.

"Hey Signe!" He called up. "Can I borrow Jack for a minute?" They both looked down at him and smiled in greeting.

"Yeah, of course." Jack washed his hands and gave Signe a gentle touch on the head before he followed Mark to his room- or rather, met up with him and waited there.

"What's up?" The giant asked, closing the door behind Mark. Mark swallowed and braced himself. How was Jack going to react?

"Um..." He watched as Jack sat across from him and waited patiently for the engineer to speak. Just rip it off like a band aid... "Katheryn says the ships are ready," he blurted. The humor in Jack's eyes faded.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Mark scratched his arm, feeling awkward. "We'll be ready for takeoff by tomorrow, and then... we'll go home." He wanted to read Jack's expression, but he was too scared to look. He took an interest in his shoes instead, and for a few seconds there was only silence between them.

"... That's good." Mark looked up. Jack was beaming proudly at him, and his eyes looked glassier. "That-that's great, actually." His voice brimmed with emotion as he sniffed and rubbed his eyes. "I'm really glad, that-that's really great, very glad," he rambled in an octave higher than usual. "Y-you guys can go home now, where ya all belong, and who wouldn't want to go home, h-huh?" Mark felt his heart shredding.

"Jack..." he murmured. A tear dripped down his long cheek. "It's ok Jack, it's going to be ok." He blinked, but only more tears gushed. "It's going to be ok," he tried to say, but his voice broke as he sobbed and covered his eyes. Jack shuddered with a stifled sob and reached for him. He picked him up and hugged him passionately, tears streaming down his own cheeks as he comforted his little buddy. Mark cried into Jack's shirt and buried his face in his chest, succumbing to the waterworks that he thought he would have to worry about on Jack. Jack shivered as he used one hand to hold Mark and the other to use his sleeve, trying to wipe the warm salty water away from his eyes.

"I'm really gonna miss you," he said. Mark clenched his shirt and nodded vigorously. Jack smothered another choking sob and focused his attention on Mark. "I'm-I'm glad you can finally go home now, though," he added. Mark looked up at him with a tear-stained face. He sniffled and tried to wipe the tears away.

"R-Really?" Jack smiled and held Mark up to eye level. He nodded.

"Really. I-I will miss ye though, obviously." Mark smiled and hiccupped as he sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"I-I'll miss you too. God," Mark laughed sadly, "I thought I was going to be the one telling you that it'd be ok." Jack chuckled and nuzzled the astronaut. Mark hugged his nose bridge, resting his head down and closing his eyes. Their chests were both swirling with overwhelming emotion, feelings too great to even word properly. But it was all right. They both understood, in the unspoken bond between them. Mark would always be grateful to Jack, and Jack would never forget the curious little spaceman. But somehow, it didn't truly feel like goodbye.

But to spend the rest of their time together, Jack took Mark to go watch the sunset. It wasn't raining for once, giving them the perfect view of the sky. But since there were trees all around, Jack decided to go cross-country and climb up part of a tall hill that was a part of the mountain pass. He sat on a ledge with Mark on his shoulder, and they both watched as the gorgeous colors spread out and bled into the sky.

"It's so beautiful," Mark murmured.

"I'm betting this is what yer world will look like when the pollution is reversed," Jack told him. He smiled. "You better take lots of pictures for me." Mark still felt like a baby for almost crying right then and there again, but he managed to hold it in and lean against the giant's neck. They stayed there even as the sun went to sleep, and then the stars came out and blew Mark away. It was so beautiful. The canvas in the sky was dark, but only in the vague background. Lighter colors like turquoise and fuchsia swirled with the dark night sky, and then the stars glittered all around them. It brought a tear to Mark's eye, but this time he wasn't sad. Nor did he try to brush that shimmering tear away.

Even when it got too cold, Mark still enjoyed the beautiful atmosphere as Jack walked home. He was even transferred to the top of Jack's head, which was a very odd but pleasant seat to try out. His hair was pretty soft, and it gave Mark a fantastic view of the galaxy above him. It was also very warm, because anatomical thermodynamics. He ended up falling asleep up there, but Jack didn't mind at all.

Then, morning rolled around. Jack yawned and woke up to find his buddy missing, which was a heart-clencher until he found Billy talking to Mark in the living room.

"How many ships do you need?" Mark asked.

"Maybe all but two. I need to speak to the rest of our race, I told a couple of them to stay at some posts, and I'm not leaving without them." The engineer nodded, understanding. "And then when we're all gathered, we'll head to Earth and hail you," Billy said.

"I'll be sure they welcome you." The two exchanged a pat on the shoulder before Billy walked off to speak to the others. Mark watched him go.

"I'm surprised he hasn't stabbed you yet," Jack said suddenly behind Mark, making the astronaut jump and turn around.

"Well I might die of a heart attack yet!" He laughed. Jack chuckled and crouched down.

"Well... I'm gonna miss ye," he said. Mark nodded.

"My life's going to be really boring," he agreed humorously.

"Tell me about it," Jack chuckled. They were both hiding behind humor. Jack knew this, and he scratched the back of his head as he tried to think of something to actually say. "Um, look..." He started. Mark waited patiently, but warily. "Maybe after all the drama on yer world dies down, you could come and visit? I mean, you don't have to, but- I mean, I'm just saying, you and yer friends are welcome anytime, just uh, try not to make a mess again, I mean-" Mark smiled.

"Of course I will, you goofy goober." Jack smiled back, relieved.

"But, um, take yer time," he said quickly, "Do whatever you gotta on yer own world. I can wait." Mark walked up to the giant and hugged his finger. Jack relaxed and cupped his hands around Mark, giving him one last hug for the road. It was going to be strange now, acting like life was normal when he knew there were other sentient creatures like Mark and Billy out there. I don't need to act like that though. Jack put Mark down and watched him walk to the front door. I need to treasure this past month. Mark stopped and waved at Jack before he turned and walked out of the cabin. Jack smiled as his vision got a little fishy. I'll never forget them.

When he felt a small touch on his hand, he was surprised when he looked down and saw Signe. "Signe? What are you still doing here?" He asked. "The others are ready to go."

"I-I know." She fidgeted shyly. "But, I wanted to tell you something. She gestured, and Jack picked her up and held her to his ear. She leaned in and murmured something, and Jack's eyes got wide.

"Y-ye mean it?" He exclaimed. Signe nodded, blushing. Jack was blushing too as he grinned and rubbed his cheek against her. "M-me too," he confessed. Signe giggled and hugged his hand.

"Don't worry, we'll see each other again. I can feel it." Jack planted a gentle kiss on her head.

"Me too." He set her down and watched her go too. He sighed as Felix walked in.

"They're leaving?" He asked. Jack nodded, and then he jumped when Felix suddenly shouted at the door "SMELL YA LATER!!!"

"FELIX!!" Mark smiled at the bottom of the stairs as he helped Signe down the last one.

"Did you tell him?" He asked. She nodded, starting to blush again. Mark beamed and pat her shoulder. "Good." Signe bounded off to the ships and helped everyone else prepare. Ethan and Katheryn were helping Tyler into one of the ships, and Jordan was already inside. Cristina was standing apart from the others, talking to Nate. Everyone else was getting ready and loading resources on, such as some food the giants offered them.

Mark watched them for a little while, and then he turned to look at the cabin one last time. He didn't know if this was the last time he'd see it, but he still whispered a goodbye to it.

"You ready, Mark?" Mark turned and saw Amy coming up to him.

"Yeah." He embraced her, breathing in her presence, and was still glad that she was ok. "You ready to go home?" He murmured. Amy nodded.

"I just hope your idea with that seed works." Mark scanned the ships until he saw the large seed sitting just outside his ship.

"Come on." He pulled away and held her hand. "Let's go home." 


	35. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Tell the World I'm Coming Home."

Thanks to the secondary double thrusters, they were able to break free of the planet's gravitational pull. They shot off into space, with Billy's squad pulling away to go meet up with the few others of their kind. Karen informed him which direction to go, and so they all set their courses and waited.

Traveling on small emergency-only ships was not the greatest form of transportation, but they were light and fast. Among the small band of survivors, for some reason Mark was chosen as the captain. He tried to hand it over to Tyler, the highest ranking member, but Tyler had told him, "Just shut up and drive." So he did, humbly. Although he could have sworn Karen sounded smug the next time she addressed him as "Captain." So he gave her Tyler's advice.

Now, they were sailing through the vast void of cold light and darkness. Stars glittered like jewels all around, and no one really said much other than what they wanted to do when they were home. But everyone was tense, and nervous. They were hoping, hoping with all their might that the ships would make it back. But as they approached Sector B, Mark noticed that the fuel was nearing empty. So, he tried radioing home.

"Alterra, this is Mark Fischbach, come in." Static. He tried again. "This is Mark Fischbach to headquarters, come in?" White noise. They held their breaths. "Does anyone read me?" He asked loudly. Then, they heard fizzing.

"We hear you loud and clear, Fischbach." They gasped and cheered, hugging each other. Mark smiled with relief as he replied.

"We're on the border of Sector B headed your way, but we need a support fleet. Emergency ships are running low on fuel."

"We are on our way, Fischbach." Amy cried and wrapped her arms around Mark's neck. Mark turned and hugged her back, also tearing up in joy.

Not long after, one of the patrol ships hailed them. They flew to it and docked, and the members on board cheered and exclaimed their support. One of the officers led them to the sick bay immediately to get them all checked for any alien sicknesses or diseases. They all checked out. And then their injuries were taken care of, before Mark was called away to meet the captain.

He followed the officer on crutches and entered the quiet, stowed away room. She dipped her head in a respectful nod before closing the door for him. Mark inhaled and looked around the room.

"Go ahead, Mr. Fischbach." The man was already sitting, and he had one leg crossed over the other, and was sitting back in his chair. "Take a seat, rest," he offered. Mark hobbled over and sat across from the captain. He sighed and nodded his head.

"Captain," he greeted respectfully. The man uncrossed his legs and sat forward.

"I'd say, Fischbach," he began, "I'm still not sure how the hell we found you, but boy am I glad you came and joined us." He studied the engineer, and added, "It was because of your dog, right?" Mark nodded.

"Yes- yes sir." He sat back, thoughtful.

"Right." He sighed. "Well, here's the good news. Not only did you manage to survive for quite a while, but your sentence is also lifted." Mark's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" He stammered. The captain smiled.

"I mean, you don't have to serve us anymore to keep the mutt. You and your girlfriend are free to go." He squinted. "As long as you don't act up again," he said warily.

"N-no, no sir!" Mark stood. "I-I won't let you down!" The captain grinned.

"I know you won't, now sit down." Mark took his seat. The captain procured a file and pushed it to Mark's side. "When you were taken away by that giant, Damien I believe, your eyecam experienced some, ah... technical difficulties. So we couldn't view the rest of your experience." Confused, Mark opened the folder and shuffled through the holographic sheets. He stared at them all, shocked. "I know you and he got along well," the captain continued. "But I'm afraid he wasn't who you thought he was. So lemme ask you something."

"This-this is real?" Mark murmured. The captain nodded.

"Yes. He was persecuted to work in the anti-smog factory, and then shortly thereafter be condemned to either death or lifetime isolated exile." Mark took a sharp breath as he looked at a mug shot. "But then, he somehow escaped and snuck on board with the rest of your research crew members and affiliated himself into the research team. He didn't belong there." The captain leaned forward. "So, may I ask you: Where is Nathan Sharp now?"

Mark's head whirled. He remembered when he met Nate in the Crowl Fighting Arena. He remembered how nice he was, and he was, in a good way, laid back for someone who went to prison. He probably enjoyed freedom on the gargantuan planet, which would explain why he didn't want to come home.

"Trust me, Earth is better off without me," he had said. But what had he done? How could it have been bad enough to be sentenced for either death or insanity treatment? He didn't... kill someone, did he? No. Mark refused to believe that. His gut told him Nate was a nice guy.

"He died." The blunt answer surprised himself. "Justice served, I say now." The captain sighed and nodded.

"Good. They'll be glad to hear that."

 _"See you in another life."_  Then Mark remembered something, and he couldn't help but ask a question.

"Sir, who is Morgan? Nate mentioned her to me before." The captain sighed.

"Morgan is a woman with ARDS." Mark's eyes were wide with horror.

"Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome?" He sat back, feeling sorry. "For how long?"

"Almost five years now." Mark covered his mouth. "She's been fighting it for a very long time, but I'm afraid the ever increasing toxins and ever decreasing oxygen is not helping." The captain sighed. "The infection is much different than it was many years ago. Back then, it was only a low chance of death. But now, if she were to make it out of this alive, it would take a miracle and a half." He dipped his head. "We're doing all that we can to ease her passing, though, when the time comes." Mark sighed and folded his arms on the table.

"Can I see her?" He asked, "When we get back?" The captain looked surprised, but he nodded.

"Very well." Then he added, "Enjoy your dog and life." And then he got up to leave. Mark sat there for a few seconds before he turned and blurted, "Sir!" The captain turned to him, standing at the door.

"I... I want to still be a member," Mark said. The man's eyebrow rose at this.

"Really?" Mark nodded.

"D-don't get me wrong, I've really missed Chica and my friends and all, but I still want to search the stars. I want to save our world." His voice dropped to a more calm tone. "However, I do have to tell you something." The captain came back over.

"Go on then," he grunted. Mark took a deep breath.

"I have something that may be able to help our planet."

 

 

 

_**Three Years Later....** _

 

Jordan ran swiftly through the halls, pushing through the meandering crew members and fighting to go as fast as possible. "'scuse me, pardon me!" He yelled. He skidded and turned into a small corridor. He pushed numbers into the pad and opened the door. "Sir!" He leaped through the doorway. In the room, there were all sorts of strange devices. Lights illuminated the metal walls with a strange glow, and at the center was a desk. At the desk, there was a strange laptop shaped box, and tinkering on it was Mark Fischbach.

"Captain!" Mark looked up from his work and smiled.

"Hey Jordan." He put down his tools. "What's up?"

"I got a message from earth, the pollution levels finally dropped below the lethal levels. And there's a message from Billy." Jordan panted between words. "He said that they finally found a T-3 planet. They've attached coordinates. It's in Sector F." He added to himself with a puffy exhale, "Man, I need to work out more."

"Really?" Mark was smiling. "Good. I'm glad they finally found a place to live." He tapped his fingers on the desk. "Once they're settled in, we can begin the trading and confirm the alliance treaty." His smile faded as his gaze grew distant. "Any word from...?" Jordan shook his head.

"I haven't heard anything from Sector D." Mark sighed and tried to hide his deflated spirits.

"That's alright." Jordan nodded and left again. Mark stared at the door for what felt like a couple of minutes, and then he looked down at the box in front of him.  _It doesn't matter._ He touched its surface and slid his fingers across its top.  _I'm so close..._ Mark cocked his head and sat back.  _Actually, I should try it now._ He put the cover on and pushed a button. The screen flickered to life, shimmering above the box. Mark inhaled sharply and held his breath. He tapped on the screen and pulled up a webpage. He started typing, his fingers went faster as he continued. Then he stopped and stared at the screen.

"Okay... here it goes." He tapped the button and waited. For a few, long, agonizingly suspenseful seconds, nothing showed up. But then, the computer suddenly beeped and pulled up a different screen.

"Hey! Why'd ya push accept!?" The screen was shaky and blurry; likely, the holder was probably running. But that voice made Mark's heart jump in his throat and his chest compress.

"Come on! You need to get out more!" The screen suddenly dropped to the floor as someone ran away, and Mark heard one of the familiar voice curse. There was a loud thump, and then some screaming and laughing.

"Fuck you!" The first voice laughed. Mark smiled a little, and then the screen suddenly moved again. Mark felt his heart beat faster as he came face to face with a familiar face. "HOLY-" He dropped the phone again. Mark laughed as he fumbled for it. "M-Mark!?!?" Jack gawked at the screen. "Mark! Is that you!?" He shouted. Mark nodded, grinning.

"H-hey, Jack!" He waved.

"Holy shit! I can't believe it!" The surprise wore off to a huge grin. "Yer back! Er, I mean, sort of, but, um- How'd you do it?"

"I used those notes I made when you showed me your computer. I connected to the EyeNet." Then Mark suddenly gasped. "Wait, where's your hair?" Jack's hair was no longer green, but it was now dark brown. "Who are you, imposter!" Mark yelled. Jack laughed.

"Yeah, I, uh, I had to take out the dye." He ran his hand through his hair. "It was getting really annoying to wash," he chuckled, "It kept rubbing out and all." Mark nodded, understanding.

"I've really missed you," he murmured. Jack nodded, also looking sentimental.

"Me too, little duder." He touched the screen nostalgically. "At least I can see ye better, being normal sized now!" He added lightly. Mark chuckled.

"That's true." He batted his eyes. "Am I pretty?" He asked in a fake voice. Jack laughed.

"Yeah, if that's what you want to call it."

"JAAACK!!!" Felix suddenly barged into frame and pushed Jack aside. "Who are you talking to?" He yelled. Then he balked at Mark, said something in another language that sounded like cursing, and then came the ear bleeder. "MARK!!" He shook the phone excitedly. "Hi!" He yelled. Mark laughed and waved at him.

"Hey Felix!" Jack shoved Felix with a stupid grin.

"Looks like we've all got some catching up to do!" He exclaimed. "How about you? Are ye dead yet?" Mark scowled.

"Yes. I am a ghost from the grave coming to haunt your phone," he joked. Felix snickered.

"Well then tell us! What's up?"

"Well." Mark tapped the desk. So many things to say, he was just so excited! It had been so long! "I'm the captain of my own ship," He started.

"Really? Wow!" 

"Well go on!" Jack urged with shining eyes. "Tell us everything! What else has happened? Did you marry Amy yet? When are ya gonna visit?" Mark laughed and began to fill them in on everything he could remember.

"Don't worry guys." He smiled and touched the screen. "We'll all be together again soon."


	36. Another Piece of the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I͊t̛͎̖̗̦̫́̓͂͊̉̾ͅ'͓̺̼̩̭̑̅ͥ̈̏s̯̞̬̣̭̉̐͆ ͍̣͎̺͓̦͎ͨͦ̑a̞ͦͬͬ̎̑ḽ͓̭̼͉̒̓̒ͯ̇̈́̍w̯̮ͣả̶͓͓̣̘̼̊ͭ̄̍͗̽y̱͈̟ͭs͓̫̣ͮ͋̋̈́̿͡ͅ ̢̹͍̫̣̳̤̙t̝̻̪̣̣̜̓ͮ̈ͮͣ͢h̛̼͍̗̩͒̑ͩͣ̐̋ė͓̱̥͒ͣͪ̌̈́͐ͅ ̟̖ͣ͗͌̏͘s̖͇ͤ̐̃̊ͬ̅͜m̨̲̬̹̼̫̭ͨ͒͂ͮͬ͊a̷͖͚̰͕̳͊l͋̐̃ͨ͏̣̱̰l̩̹ͬͪ̓̚ ̆ͧ̇̚͏͉̟̻̥p͍̞̍͂ͥͫ͊͒ǐ͊ͮ͌̆e̗̲̜̮͋́̍͊͌̇ͮ͘ͅͅc̈́ͯ̀̓ͥ̆҉̫̤̠͙̳̬̰e̛̙̥s̮̓̓͢ ̤̱̗ͪ͐͂͛͆ͥ͞t̻̲̅̾ͭ̊h̜̻̒̒ͮa̺̹̘̻̥͇̓̉͗ͪͫ̽̚ͅt̤̟͍̦ ͔̜̖̦̍͐̇ḿ͓̱̘͔̆ͬ̎̉ḁ̧͈̦̯̰͔̻̾̇̿k̐͒̀͊̒ͅe̫͈̘̱̦̤̻͜ ̶̩̲͎̞̥̂t̷͖͐̈́͊͋̈́ḧ͎̭̗̱̣̰ͦe̊̋̌̚ ̭̙̠̟͉̥̅b͈̺̝̻̤͛ͬͨ͆͊ͤi̘͌ͮͪͭ͒ͤ͠g̬̬̙̟͉̯̙̍̄ͣͦ̚ ͭͦ͂̾̀p̹̞̭͓̭̺͗̓̈́̉͑̅ͨǐc̜̩̞̺̠̈̋ṱ̲ͤ̈ȗͨ̐r͚͚̠̜͇̤͖̓̿̓̓̿ͫ̚ẻ̶͈̠͙͔̝̉ͤ̌̏.͍̦̬͕͛͗ͅ

_The Author was standing beside his desk, tapping his foot impatiently as he stared at the figure in his seat. The humanoid thing was reading his notes, a thoughtful frown covering his face. Then finally, he sat up and rose out of the chair._

_"You ne-eded me why-y again?" He asked, turning to the blind folded man. His voice was glitchy and collected as he waited for an answer._

_The Author muttered under his breath as he turned away and walked to the stairs. He leaned against the railing and pressed his forehead against the post with a sigh, and he fell quiet for a few seconds._

_"... Google," he suddenly spoke. "The Author wants to know when it all started."_

_"Defi-ine_ it _," Google sneered. The Author turned and scowled at the man._

 _"The Author knows Google heard him;_ when _!?" He snapped. A beep told the blindfolded man that Google was doing as he asked, and he relaxed a little as he looked at the white 3D_ G  _on Google's blue shirt._

_"The a-answer is not defi-initive." Google looked at the Author, and the blindfolded man blanched and suddenly looked tired. Google smirked. "You re-eally caused damage out the-ere, Host." Worn out, the Author sank down and sat on the floor among his scattered notes._

_"Th-the Host never realized how much damage he caused," he whispered. "He never meant for this to happen, he had only wanted to be free..." Google rolled his eyes and shook his head._

_"You have o-only made us stro-onger," he taunted. The Host said nothing. Google scoffed and folded his arms over his chest. "Look ho-ow pathetic you ar-re. You are as ba-ad as a human, as_ hi-im  _even!" The Author looked up at Google and whimpered._

_"The Author never meant to hurt anyone," he murmured in dismay. "He only wanted to write and tell his stories." Google sighed._

_"We-ell, that will never ha-appen since you ju-umped Dark's comma-and." The author's lip curled as he pressed his hands against his temples, and he grit his teeth._

_"What is the most definitive answer Google can provide?" He asked. Google gave the blindfolded man a cold smile._

_"Chao-os, my frie-end. Absolu-ute chaos." The Host hung his head. Google curled his lips in disgust. "Look at you-ou. You're a pathe-etic creature, a sca-avenger. After what you di-id, you don't even belo-ong here. You should be gra-ateful for what Da-ark has done for you." The author's head came up, and it was his turn to scowl._

_"Dark did nothing for the Host!" He seethed. "That demon cares for no one but himself! He would rather see_ Him _die than live dependently!"_

_"And in ti-ime, we will," Google reminded coldly. He simpered. "Tha-anks to you're li-ittle fairy ta-ales." The blindfolded man frowned and covered the bloody cloth with his hand, and then he lowered his hand again. He repeated this, as if trying to take it off, but he did not._

_"Does Google not remember what that demon has done to the Host?" The author croaked hoarsely. "Does Google not see that Dark is malicious and oppressive?" Google stared at the Host._

_"... we a-are who we a-are," he reminded. "And you-ou have brought us to life. You have fre-ed us, and you ha-ave made a passagewa-ay between our wor-rlds." Google's eyes narrowed. "But you-ou also created the Fractur-re. You have bro-oken time itself!"_

_"... The Author did not mean to though," the author whispered. Google growled and pushed the blindfolded man against the wall, pinning him by the shoulders._

_"Sack up Ho-ost!" He snapped. "Accept your wro-ongs and endure your-re punishment!" The author said nothing, and Google's anger ebbed away. He slowly let his friend go. "There is no-othing I can do for you-ou," he sighed. "I am so-orry. But what's done is do-one." His eyes darkened as Google scowled. "The o-only one he tru-usts is Wi-ilford, and that's only beca-ause he doesn't have the se-ense to disobe-ey Dark."  The Host frowned._

_"Google is afraid." Google exhaled slowly. His throat muscles twitched with nervousness as the author walked closer to his computer friend. "Google cannot stand up against Dark, but he too despises the demon," the blindfolded man rumbled. Google didn't grace the accusation with an answer. His eyes glanced nervously at the darkness around the room, as though he expected the demon to come out._

_"Da-ark is ve-ery powerfu-ul," Google stammered. His unease made his glitching voice even worse. "And he-e is mo-ore powerfu-ul than us a-all." The Host looked at Google for a few seconds before his head bowed in respect._

_"Perhaps Google does not realize how powerful the Host is," he murmured. Google frowned as the Host walked to the door._

_"Whe-ere are you-ou going?" He asked. The author paused with his hand on the door handle._

_"The Host must speak with Dark and apologize." Then he opened the door and walked into the darkness. Google watched him go, and for a few seconds he stood in the quiet dark room. The cold darkness from outside had sighed a chilly breeze, and the candles were out. Google's eyes illuminated as he activated night vision, and he turned and walked to the writer's desk._

_Google was solemn as he quietly sat back down in the Host's chair, and he squared his shoulders with a sigh. He looked at the papers left on the author's desk, and he noticed a second pile that stood away from the stack Google had just read. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he was alone, and he pulled the pile closer and picked up the first page. And in the darkness, he began to read._

**_And outside, Thunder rumbled as the darkness began to close in._ **


End file.
